Pa Ranjith aims to create a new space for the art and culture that formed an intrinsic part of his growing up years in the city. The director says several aspects of the life he knew has not been recognised as culture by the society at large, and it is up to people with influence to make sure this is rectified.
“Society by and large only recognises a certain type of art form and literature. There is so much more than that. And through Vaanam festival I want to showcase all of these art forms that have been neglected,” he said.
Ranjith says that several Tamil art forms have been operating within the confines of religion in the State. Through Vaanam, he hopes to liberate the art form. “We want to celebrate art for art’s sake. Our intention is to promote social change through art.”
The three-day festival begins on December 29 this year and goes on till December 31. “I initially envisioned it as a seven day long event. But there was some issue that prevented. Nonetheless, next year we will definitely be in the kind of space we want to be. We have received tremendous support from people this time.”
A highlight of the event is the album launch of The Casteless Collective. Titled Magizhchi, the album has original numbers written by members of the team. It will be launched on December 31. Ranjith has directed a music video for one of the songs in the album.
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“Magizhchi has come out really well. I feel that this would be a milestone moment for The Casteless Collective. They’ve reached many hearts and now, they will reach many homes,” he added.
Ranjith says that he has included a lot of books on Periyar, Karl Marx and Ambedkar in the festival. “There will be a lot of discussions on the work of these writers. I have read all of their works and I have an opinion about all of them. For social change, it is necessary to have some idea about the world around us and society. For that to happen, we need to educate ourselves about progressive schools of thought.”