Aaru

Dance meets theatrical storytelling in this performance by dancers of Bharataa Arts. Titled Aaru, which means both ‘river’ and the number six in Tamil, this performance depicts how good triumphs over evil through the ritual celebration known as Soorasamharam.

In Tamilnadu, the river Thamirabarani meanders through nature and towns, connecting the lives of the people living on its banks. It eventually meets the ocean at Thiruchendur, the coastal city that boasts the beautiful temple of Murugan, who also represents the six-faced Aarumugan. Here, both the river and temple are closely intertwined with the lives of village folk, who stage and pay witness to the temple ritual Soorasamharam. This ritual recreates Lord Murugan’s vanquishing of Soorapadman, who represents the six enemies of the mind: lust, greed, attachment, arrogance, jealousy and anger. Thus, Soorasamharam symbolises the victory of good over evil.