The first performing artists he came into contact with were from folk theatre and in their interaction, their perceptions grew, each augmeting the other. This resulted in the founding of Koothu-p-pattarai in the year 1977.

From a modest and informal beginning in 1977, Koothu-p-pattarai has gradually widened its activities and in 1988 succeeded in establishing itself as a full time repertory.

Koothu-p-pattarai began its engagement with creative theatre by organising and sponsoring lectures and demonstrations by eminent musicans and dancers from India and other countries. They also held demonstrations by various folk artists in urban centres, thus creating an awareness of the existence and importance of such art forms.

Koothu-p-pattarai continued to produce plays laying a great deal of emphasis of expanding the actors awareness and the expressive possibilities of the body and voice. Many workshops were conducted and improvisation sessions held, to enable the members to understand the elements of traditional theatre art forms.

Koothu-p-pattarai's engagement with theatre received a big push forward when the Ford foundation made a grant to N. Muthuswamy in 1984 for undertaking a project on the interaction between traditional forms and contemporary theatre.

Today, Koothu-p-pattarai is acknowledged for its efforts in recognising traditions of native folk arts and communicating them to growing audience in a contemporary idiom. It is engaged in regularly producing plays, conducting workshops and interacting with children in educational institutions, to bring about a wider awareness of the richness of folk theatre and its relevance to contemporary theatre.

Koothu-p-pattarai has committed itself to the development of complete actor - using folk forms and native art to bring out creativity in the mind, body and the expression of the actor.

Koothu-p-pattarai believes that the Tamil traditions are rich with knowledge and wisdom of theatre, which when properly and creatively approached can lead to a genuine Tamil theatre that can easily be compared with the best theatre traditions of the world. It is on the basis of this belief that Koothu-p-pattarai is engaged in its relentless pursuit of leaving behind a legacy of creative theatre.

By activating interest in Theru-k-koothu, Koothu-p-pattarai succeeded in creating an increasing awareness among the koothu artists themselves about the importance of their art. This improved their sense of identity, and helped them take a closer look at their own strengths and weaknesses. This encouraged them to look at some of the lost but vital aspects of koothu which had disappeared during the course of time, thereby starting a revitalisation process for koothu.

Koothu-p-pattarai's future plans include the setting up of a koothu centre at purisai (a place with a koothu tradition that spans across five generation of Theru-k-koothu, situated 3 hours drive from Chennai, Tamilnadu). This centre will impart training in both contemporary theatre and in koothu.

Koothu-p-pattarai has started a Theatre Speech Laboratory, where it trains its actors on the nuances of speech in its varied dialects and expressions. Koothu-p-paattarai has also recorded Kannappa Thambiran's experience in relation to speech in Theru-k-koothu over the past sixty years and the experience of some of the leading senior Theru-k-koothu actors. This will serve as the basic material not only for theatre speech, but also for anthropological and linguistic studies.

Inspired by the overwhelming response to their first summer theatre festival in Purisai in 1989, which saw many theatre groups from across Tamilnadu present their respective traditional forms, Koothu-p-pattarai proposes to organise such festivals.

What began as an informal communion of a handful of theatre enthusiasts has steadily grown into an acknowledged movement that has earned itself a rightful place in the history of theatre in Tamilnadu.