Prahalada Charithram: the felicity & the flow Though the Bhagavata Mela repertoire contains some brilliant mythological plays, it is Prahalada Charithram that holds immense appeal to the audience. It unfolds the story of Prahalada, the child devotee of Lord Vishnu and his obdurate faith. The emotional conflicts between the devout child and his demonic [...]

Another composer of substance and repute was Veerabhadrayya (1700-1769 A.D), a disciple of 'Bharatam' Kasinathayya who was acclaimed for his intellectual honesty that made him dedicate his works only to the divinity and not the royalty. He had an amazing sway over not only his native language, but also a score of other languages [...]

The duo that brings alive mythological characters

S Natarajan, an electrical engineer from Dubai is a paradigm of histrionic talent and dedication who has specialized in female roles that he dons with a natural ease and élan at the Melattur Bhagavata Mela. His delineation of Chandramathi in Harischandra or Leelavathi, the helpless wife of Hiranya caught [...]

It is a yearly affair that falls around the second week of May (corresponding to the 14th day of the lunar fortnight of Vaisakha) that wakes up Melattur, an obscure village from its serene slumber near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The Bhagavata Mela of Melattur represents a 500-year old dance drama tradition that dates back [...]