Keeranur, 18-20 October 2026
With the aim of reclaiming cultural identity and preparing our young people to proclaim Christ through traditional art forms during the Advent-Christmas season, the INT Youth Commission and Christodayam organized a three-day Intensive Folklore Training at Don Bosco, Keeranur.
Why Folk Arts?
This initiative was not conceived merely as learning dance steps. In a world where young people are increasingly losing their rootedness and are exposed to numerous deviations, folklore formation becomes a powerful pastoral tool. Learning folk arts forms them integrally – it ensures physical fitness, demands mental alertness, nurtures creativity, builds community, and channels youthful energy for societal transformation. It is also a language of prayer and a medium of evangelization. As Don Bosco himself used music, theatre and joy to reach the young, we seek to use the folkbeat of our soil for spiritual nourishment and for bringing social awareness and change.
For this training, we were blessed to have the renowned folklore trainers Mr. Nanmaaran and Mrs. Sudha from Pralayam Kalikuzhu, Nagercoil, who have dedicated their lives to preserving Tamil folk arts. The youth were initiated into five vibrant folk forms, not as performance alone but as an expression of identity and faith:
- Kummi (குமரிக் கும்மி)
- Oyillattam (தூத்துக்குடி ஒயில்)
- Kondaththaatam (கொண்டத்தாட்டம்)
- Kaliyalaattam (நெல்லைக் களியல்)
- Silla Aattam (சிலா ஆட்டம்)
In all, 33 young people participated from three centres: Lalgudi (5), Scouts & Guides – Thanjavur (8) and Keeranur (20 youth).
A New Experience for our Youth
In today’s media-occupied lifestyle, where youngsters would otherwise remain immobile at home, fully engrossed in screen time, these three days of being rooted in our cultural linkage proved to be truly liberating. Unbound from screens, they discovered the beauty, rhythm and discipline of our soil.
The young people expressed a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Especially the youth group from Keeranur, who have been involved in folk arts for the past few years, shared that learning these new folk forms gave them a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment. They experienced first-hand how these art forms can create social awareness and become instruments for bringing change in society. More importantly, they are now equipped to use these forms for spiritual depth, for Advent preparation across various Dioceses and Salesian presences of INT.
Addressing the youth, Fr. Casimir Raj SDB, the Youth Director of INT, instilled in them that such initiatives form them in all aspects – physical, mental, creative and spiritual. He underlined that this training is intended for their overall welfare and specifically to prepare them for a meaningful Advent. He appreciated the commitment of the centres and thanked the Salesians from Keeranur, Lalgudi and Fr. James, through whom the Thanjavur youth participated. He placed on record his gratitude to Fr. Arul Antony, Fr. Joseph and Fr. James for their initiatives for the growth of young people.
Mr. Nanmaaran also broadened their vision by sharing about further opportunities in learning folk arts – the academic studies involved, higher research, and the avenues for job procurement and livelihood in the field of cultural preservation.
We express our heartfelt gratitude to Rev. Fr. Doss Kennedy SDB, our Provincial, and Rev. Fr. Ricopar Rayan SDB, our Economer, for their constant support and encouragement for youth cultural ministry. Our sincere thanks to Rev. Fr. Arul Antony SDB, Rector and the Salesian Community of Keeranur for their warm hospitality, for hosting this event with so much love, and for providing food, space and fraternal encouragement to our beloved youth.
Our young people return enriched, rooted, and ready to proclaim Christ through the folkbeat of our soil.
