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 [...]

The Tandava element is divided intoMargi

Deshi

The Margi consists of seven types of Bhraman-s. Each Bhramana consists of Gati-s, Karana-s, chari-s. For each gati he has prescribed a separate tala, but no tala has been prescribed for the Karana-s or Cari-s. Each tala has been prescribed some specific sabda (bol-sor sollu).

Example: The [...]