Asar collaborated with Thilagavathi Palani, a National Award recipient and the first female Kattaikuthu artist to create Veppathin Veriyattam: The Frenzied Dance of Heat. Kattaikuthu is a 300-year-old Tamil folk theatre form, practiced historically by male performers.
In July 2026, we took Veppathin Veriyattam on a seven-school tour across Ranipet, Walajapet, and Tiruvannamalai, three of the hottest districts in Tamil Nadu. For the first time in the form’s history, this traditional theatre was used to teach climate science, turning the lived reality of extreme heat into a performance that children both watched and took part in.
The premise we set out to test was simple: that climate education reaches children more effectively through a cultural form they already recognise than through textbooks alone. The performance explained the science behind rising temperatures through multiple characters, song and dance, using a regional languages and traditional art to engage and entertain children.
The troupe was also invited to perform at MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai for a room full of scientists and academicians who hailed it for its ability to simplify complex scientific concepts surrounding the climate crisis into information that can be easily understood and retained by the public.
Some pictures:
Some links to the videos and the response the performance received: