Sri Lanka | 2025 Kaman Koothu is a traditional folk performance art practiced by Malaiyaha (Upcountry) Tamils in Sri Lanka. The community was first brought to Sri Lanka in the first half of the 19th century by British colonizers to work on the island’s plantations. Having lived for many generations nurturing the soil, Malaiyaha Tamils are still denied proper land rights and confined to slave-like living conditions. Kaman Koothu is a vibrant, overnight dance drama (koothu) that depicts the story of Manmathan (Kaman) disrupting Lord Shiva’s meditation, being burned by Shiva’s wrath, and the lamentation of his wife, Rathi.