KaaLiyaaTTam - The life history of a performer and the development of a performing art

KaaLiyaaTTam is a ritual dance performed in the guise of KaaLi, a popular f emale deity worshiped in Tamil Nadu and in other parts of India. The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between the performing art Kaa LiyaaTTam and the life history of a person performing it to find if the rel ationship influences the performing art, and if so, how. On the basis of da ta collected through participant observation in many areas of Tamil Nadu an d interviews with performers, the author shows that KaaLiyaaTTam is closely related to the life of the performer. He also argues that the benefits of the performance for performers is not economic but psychological. The autho r concludes that there is a mutually influential relationship between the p erformance of KaaLiyaaTTam and its performer.