‘Paska’ Theatre: Tamil Cultural Valus – Politics – Counter Politics

Paska is a theatrical form that tells the story of Jesus’ suffering. It was introduced to the Tamils during the time of the Portuguese. From the time of its introduction, the Tamils adopted the form of Paska. They carried it out with Tamil cultural values. They transformed it into a Tamil Paska, incorporating an emotional belief and ritual into more than just a theatrical performance. Since this Paska system is based on the death of Jesus, most of the death rites among the Tamils are included in it. Anthropologists refer to this as ‘Inculturation’. This research talks about these Tamil values. The institutionalized Catholicism that followed this system of Tamil culture did not fully accept it. So the Catholic Church banned the Paska and introduced a new type of Paska. Within the new system, anything related to Tamil culture was removed and the Paska was designed as a mere theatrical performance. The Paska system, which was a community Theatre, was later institutionalized. This article examines this trend of Paska with its contradictions.