This is an excerpt from my book ‘Bhagavata Mela My
Tryst with Tradition’ which was published in 2018. This excerpt gives details
of my decade long work with Melattur Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam.
MY JOURNEY WITH BHAGAVATA MELA
A
DECADE OF SUPPORT & COLLABORATION, 1992–2002
My
first exposure to an authentic Bhagavata Mela performance was in Mumbai in
December 1992. The high standard of pure classical music and sparkling artistic
talent shone through their obvious discomfort on the sterile environs of a
modern stage. The actors appeared like an anachronism, archaic characters from
ancient times standing bewildered in an alien environment. The vast theatre
with more than a thousand seats was empty but for ten enthusiasts.
As
a regular freelance writer on arts for The
Times of India and The Hindu,
I approached the artistes for an interview. I took a few photographs inside the
green room. They were a little unnerved by their experience of performing in
Mumbai. They asked me to meet them again the next day at the guest house they
were staying.
It
was here that they poured their heart out about the problems they face every
year. They asked me to attend the festival the following year to witness Prahlada Charitram. They discussed their
problems of keeping the tradition going and requested help and guidance.
I
was nonchalant and knew that going to Melattur during summer holidays was quite
impossible. I wrote a piece for The Times of India and forgot about the
invitation.
Three
months later, on 12 March 1993, S. Gopalakrishnan, the secretary of Natya Vidya
Sangam, and Srinivasan, R. Mahalingam’s father-in-law, visited Mumbai again
(amid the riots) to persuade me to attend the Melattur festival that year and
take over as honorary chairperson. I was hesitant and unsure of the extent of
involvement my commitment would entail. Among those present at home was the
legendary violinist Shri T.N. Krishnan who persuaded me to accept the request.
He promised to help me in any way he could. He later kept his word.
May 1993
Travelling
with me to Melattur in May 1993 were my parents and Smt. Shanta Gokhale, the
eminent theatre personality, author, and historian.
The
play Prahlada Charitram was truly a
splendid presentation and I was mesmerised by the young dancer Nagarajan who
played Leelavathi and R. Mahalingam (Mali) who donned the fearsome crown of
Hiranyakashipu. The Manifestation of Narasimha avatar was a spine-tingling
experience.
The
next evening there was no performance as it was rest day at Melattur. I went
with a group to Saliyamangalam, another village where Bhagavata Mela was
conducted regularly, to watch Prahlada
Charitram. There was a fascinating difference in the music, dialogues, and
presentation.
Bhagavata
Mela’s scripts had been safeguarded from the general public so far. There was
no awareness of the greatness of this special genre of literature and style of
music. Dr V. Raghavan of the Music Academy (Chennai) had earlier published the
script of Prahlada Charitram with
music notation after extensive research and study of various versions.
The
Natya Vidya Sangam revived and staged a new natakam the following day. Mali’s
son Vinod had his debut as Seetha in Seetharama
Kalyanam.
For
the first time, the Sangam’s pandits, N. Viswanathan and Thanjavur N.
Srinivasan, collaborated with Sarasvati Mahal Library to publish Melattur
Venkatrama Sastri’s Seetharama Kalyanam.
The manuscript only indicates the ragas and talas for the darus and credit for
reconstructing the music goes to L. Venkatesa Iyengar. The script is printed in
Devanagari, followed by transcription in Tamil. Explanatory notes for each
scene are provided in Tamil. This book was released at the festival.
The
Sangam decided to announce my name as the chairperson and I was given a formal
welcome in a speech by B. Herambanathan. Arulthiru Sayimatha Siva Dr Brinda
Devi was the chief guest. R. Mahalingam and his father K. Ramalinga Iyer were
on the stage. Thus began a tumultuous decade of activity punctuated with my
annual visits to Melattur and the Sangam’s visits to Mumbai.
I
returned home to Mumbai with a heart full of possibilities and a head full of
ideas. The first interview was with Melattur Ganesa Bhagavatar, a prominent
personality in Mumbai. At his home we spoke at length about the history of the
tradition and the people behind its revival. Here I met G. Krishnamurthy Sarma,
musician and Sanskrit scholar, who had assisted Balu Bhagavatar in his heyday
as a singer and conductor. As a youngster, Ganesa Bhagavatar said he had played
the role of Bhoomi Devi.
The
appealing music, sincerity of the artists, and the charm of the technique
compelled me to accept this challenge in October 1993. I had no experience of
working with an organisation. The distance was a concern. But here was a
precious living art tradition which was obviously dying. The emphasis is on the
devotional aspect, but how can we allow a potentially rich art to become
defunct through neglect?
My
priority therefore was to initiate serious research in the history of Bhagavata
Mela. The team had erudite scholars like Pandit N. Viswanathan of the Thanjavur
Maharaja Serfoji Sarasvati Mahal Library. He is the author of several
publications which include translations of Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi lyrics.
He has published a compilation of “Five Marathi Natakams” which includes the
Marathi natakam Sakuntala by Ekoji
II. He initiated the idea that we should perform a Marathi natakam. Sanskrit
Pandit Thanjavur Shri N. Srinivasan has been enthusiastically involved in
historical research and scrutiny of manuscripts. A popular Harikatha artiste,
he is also the lead singer on the stage. The second priority was to create
awareness among the connoisseurs and dance scholars about this dance tradition.
I spoke to many scholars and patrons and asked them for guidance.
I
consulted legendary musicians like Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.S.
Subbulakshmi, D.K. Pattammal, Shri T.N. Krishnan, Shri G. Venu (Kudiyattam),
T.S. Parthasarathy, and Smt. Shanta and Shri V.P. Dhananjayan, my gurus at
Kalakshetra.
The
Central Sangeet Natak Akademi responded to my petition and doubled the annual
allowance from that year not only for the Melattur sangams but for all the
villages. They had no funds to continue the tradition of celebrating a ten-day
festival. In 1994, I recommended that we prune this to three days, to the great
relief of the artistes and their families. I also encouraged them to revive one
forgotten play every year.
I
was associated with the artistes of one group in Melattur called Natya Vidya
Sangam. The other group in the same village, Natya Nataka Sangam was run by
Shri. S. Natarajan. It was my privilege that I could meet Natarajan’s father G.
Swaminathan, the legendary actor and doyen of Bhagavata Mela. Though he was
frail due to age-related issues, I was accorded a warm welcome in his home. I
attended the Prahlada Charitram
natakam performed by Shri Natarajan’s group. I was impressed with the
performance of the two brothers Natarajan and Kumar as Leelavathi and
Hiranyakashipu respectively. The music was excellent and the sincerity and devotion
of this group was palpable. They perform on a stage in front of the temple
entrance and the audience sit on the road leading to it.
When
both groups perform Prahlada Charitam
on the same night, the same Narasimha mask has to be used for the last scene.
In such a situation, one group begins two hours earlier and hands over the mask
at the temple in time for the next group. If Shri Natarajan, who lived and
worked abroad, was unable to perform on the Narasimha Jayanti Day, his group’s
festival would be held at the earliest suitable date.
January 1994
I
was formally appointed as chairperson in October 1993 and the first five-day
festival in Mumbai was organized in January 1994. Within those two months I
persuaded four organisations to sponsor the performances — Kala Rasika Sangam
(Sion), Gana Kala Vidya Nilayam (Goregaon), Andhra Mahasabha (Dadar), and
N.C.P.A. (Nariman Point). An invitation to city dancers and the print media
brought in much publicity.
One
of the most beautiful events was a traditional welcome to the Bhagavatars by T.
K. Mahalingam Pillai and Kalasadan Mani, respected Bharata Natyam gurus of
Mumbai. They felt that, as the artistes of this tradition were coming here for
the first time, they must express their respect and admiration for them. The
artistes were greeted with nadaswaram (temple pipe instruments) players and
traditional poorna-kumbham (tray with coconuts, fruits, and betel leaves). The
committee of Kala Rasika Sangam presented the Melattur artistes with a purse
and a citation. A travelling suitcase for every member of the troupe was
sponsored by a well-wisher. Hundreds of the city’s dancers were present to
welcome the torch-bearers of this ancient tradition. Ganesa Bhagavatar offered
all guests the customary panagam (spiced jaggery drink), the traditional
Lakshmi Narasimhaswami prasad (offering) from the Bhajana Samaj Sri Rama
temple. The visiting artistes were enthusiastic and cooperated whole-heartedly.
They performed an excerpt from a natakam for the audience.
I
must confess that it was not roses all the way, for thorns were scattered by
prickly local bandicoots with vested interests and other “traditionalists” to
stall this first Bhagavata Mela festival in Mumbai. The first blow came from
the main conductor of the troupe who refused to join at the last minute, so a
substitute was urgently summoned. The dancers rehearsed with him during the
train journey. In Mumbai, some staged a door-to-door campaign and threatened
those who supported the festival with ostracism from religious functions.
I
realised then that my mission must be significant and important enough to
provoke such a reaction. It is to the credit of Guru Kalasadan Mani and the
Melattur Sangam that they stood staunchly by me and my efforts. I was determined
to continue my work regardless.
There
were two full-house performances at the Gana Kala Vidya Nilayam at Goregaon,
and the audience was spellbound by the Sangam’s performances. The other two
performances in Andhra Mahasabha at Dadar and N.C.P.A. at Nariman Point were
also well-received.
I
must express my immense gratitude to my husband Ramnath Raman who supported my
involvement with the Sangam. He designed and printed flyers, posters and
playlists, and arranged the transport to all corners of the city every time the
troupe visited.
April 1994
Sruti,
a magazine for the arts requested me to write a cover story about the tradition
for their April 1994 issue to time with the annual Narasimha Jayanti festival.
This was an honour for the Natya Vidya Sangam which had been languishing
without popular support or appreciation. At that time, the magazine was
considered a dignified supporter of artistes and encouraged research-oriented
articles from scholars. In the feature, I covered many aspects of Bhagavata
Mela and included a report on the Saliyamangalam tradition as well. The front
cover featured the Narasimha mask.
May 1994
This
special issue of Sruti drummed up
great interest and a record-breaking one thousand strong audience attended the
festival at Melattur that year. Shri V.P. Dhanajayan and Smt. Shanta
Dhananjayan inaugurated the festival. Journalists from Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Delhi, and Chennai like R.G. Krishna of the Illustrated
Weekly of India, R. Sethuraman of Sruti,
and V.A.K. Ranga Rao, eminent dance critic and scholar, witnessed the natakams.
December 1994
In
1994, the next three-day Bhagavata Mela festival was held in Chennai. The
pandits, N. Viswanathan and N. Srinivasan, and some other artistes came with me
to personally invite eminent personalities.
For
the first time ever, Bhagavata Mela performed Parvathi Kalyanam inside the precincts of Sri Kapaliswara temple in
Chennai during the peak “music season” in December. This was possible with the
kind courtesy of Shri Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti. More than three thousand people
turned up in the audience. The chief guests were D.K. Pattammal and Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer. It was attended by scholars, dancers, and musicians, my Guru S.
(Peria) Sarada, Dr Arudra, T.S. Parthasarathy, A.S. Raman (former editor, Illustrated Weekly of India, who
promoted the arts through this magazine), Smt. Vani Jairam, Nirmala
Ramachandran, Malavika Sarukkai, U.S. Rao and his wife Chandrabhaga, to name a
few. A souvenir was released by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and T.S.
Parthasarathy received the first copy. A local television channel gave full
coverage to the event.
The
next day I was invited to give a presentation at the prestigious Natya Kala
Conference at Krishna Gana Sabha. Shri V.P. Dhananjayan was the convenor that
year. He invited me to present the Bhagavata Mela artistes as the subject of an
illustrative lecture-demonstration “Then and Now”. I spoke about the changes in
the costume, make-up, and presentation of Bhagavata Mela in the last century.
The lecture ended with a dance demonstration by the artistes. After a panel
discussion with Dr Arudra, my gurus S. Sarada, and Shri Dhananjayan, there was
an interactive session with the jury, critics, and journalists in the audience.
On
the third day, T.S. Parthasarathy, secretary for the Music Academy, had invited
me to present a demonstration about “Dance Music in Bhagavata Mela” at the
prestigious annual Experts Committee Conference. I requested Shri R. Mahalingam
(Mali) to take the opportunity. He used the music of Usha Parinayam, Harishchandra,
and Prahlada Charitram to augment his
lecture with a demonstration by Bhagavata Mela dancers.
May 1995
The
next script to be published was Markandeya
in May 1995. The publication of the Natya Vidya Sangam was sponsored by my
husband R. Raman. In the Foreword to this book I have mentioned the unique
versatility of this tradition which “encompasses music, dance and theatre. The
structure of the play includes a rich variety of poetic devices which ensures
its status as outstanding literature.” The play was staged for the first time
at the annual festival.
October 1995
In October of the same year, the Sangam was
back again in Mumbai in full strength. They participated in the Kuchipudi
Conference organised by Kuchipudi Kala Kendra. At another venue, I presented a
lecture-demonstration on “Patrapravesha in Bhagavata Mela”, with a
demonstration by the Sangam artistes.
The
breathless pace of activity of the preceding year left us all exhilarated and
determined to continue the lucky phase. There was no stopping the juggernaut
which had started to roll.
May 1996
The
annual festival at Melattur was a great success with the revival and staging of
Krishna Leela Jananam.
After
the festival, a group of us went to Madurai and organised publicity for the
event through Dinamalar, the daily
newspaper of Madurai which had issued a supplement for the 1994 festival.
January 1997
It
was my husband’s suggestion that the Sangam should perform in Thiruvaiyaru
during the 150th Aradhana of Saint Tyagaraja in January 1997. It would be a
tribute to Tyagaraja, who belonged to the Bhagavata Mela tradition.
For
the first time ever, the temple authorities of the Panchanadiswara temple gave
permission for performances inside the vast precincts for two nights during the
Aradhana week. The Sangam selected the plays Harishchandra and Rukmini
Kalyanam, to be staged in Thiruvaiyaru, both noted for its excellent musical
values.
My
entire family including my husband, children, parents, and sister went on this
week-long pilgrimage to Thiruvaiyaru. Thanjavur was the base camp. We were also
celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.
We
visited my father’s home in Thirumangalakudi, my mother’s birthplace
Tiruchirappalli besides Thiruvarur, Thiruvidaimarudur, Mannargudi, Kumbhakonam,
and Melattur. We rented a house near the Panchanadiswara temple which could
accommodate us, the artistes, and other guests. The popular Tamil weekly
magazine Kumudam had sent a senior
journalist to interview us. Dinamalar
brought out a supplement on the Aradhana and Bhagavata Mela. Other magazines
wrote extensively on this unique event which almost overshadowed the Aradhana
concerts. There was talk that the Aradhana organisers might prevent our shows
from taking place. Five thousand people thronged the spacious temple on both
days as the Sangam performed the plays in full length. Umayalapuram Sivaraman,
the mridangam maestro was the chief guest on the first day.
May 1997
I
missed the annual festival in May 1997 as my father-in-law had passed away and I
had to refrain from temple visits for a year. In December, a personal tragedy
changed my family’s future. I pulled myself together and brushed it aside to
conduct the arangetram of my student in January 1998.
May 1998
I
was not sure whether I would be able to attend the Narasimha Jayanti Festival
that year, but at the earnest request of the members of the Sangam I decided to
attend the festival.
It
was at this meeting, in 1998, that we renewed the discussion about the
possibility of making the Marathi natakam. I was not confident about the
organisation of such a big project, as at that time I had no infrastructural
support or funds to pull this off.
I
could not visit Melattur in 1999 and 2000. I was working full time at N.C.P.A.,
the prestigious art institution, and later at a software company related to the
arts. Many domestic issues like relocating to a new house, my dance
performance, renewing cultural activities, and being at home for my children
became priority. Of course, I had already begun work and planning for 2002.
May 2000
In
2000, a tragic event left us all devastated. A fire broke out on the stage of
the Natya Vidya Sangam just before the performance of Prahlada Charitram. They called at midnight to inform me.
Electrical equipment, costumes, props, and much else was burnt to ashes.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. They wanted to know what should be done. I had no
idea. Stopping or leaving the festival incomplete is considered sacrilege, so
the festival was postponed to the next month.
I
was quite shaken and petrified of the religious implications and superstitions
that abound such traditions. I had a purifying bath and recited the slokas of
Vishnu Sahasranamam (Thousand Names of Vishnu) and Lakshmi Narasimha stotrams
till dawn. In the past, the Sangam faced many incidents when attempts were made
by local vandals to sabotage the festival. Once, snakes were left loose as the
play began, scattering the audience. On another occasion, I personally cleared
the stage of glass pieces from a broken tube light on the stage. This was
during Prahlada Charitram and
Mahalingam, the actor playing Hiranyakashipu, had a large piece embedded in his
heel. We removed the glass piece, bandaged the heel, and he continued to
perform despite the pain.
January 2001
In
January 2001, I attended a two-month residential workshop at Natanakairali, the
Kudiyattam centre (Irinjnalakuda) run by G. Venu. It was an international
effort and artists from Japan, China, and Sweden participated. I conducted the
workshops on Bharata Natyam.
I
returned refreshed and more determined to make the Sakuntala natakam a success.
In
September, I went to Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi to garner support
for the festival. It took a year of hard work and constant communication with
the Sangam to compose the music, train the actors, design costumes, finalise
the venues, and collect funds for the next Mumbai festival in January 2002.
Our
destiny is written in the ancient books, our karma designs our life, and the journey
is full of omens and signs, whispers and nudges, incidents and coincidences. I
look back at my tryst with tradition and the string of coincidences that led to
my spending ten years in the service of the art. It was now clear why I was
ordained, by the grace of the Universe, to become a small part of the history
of twenty-first-century Bhagavata Mela.
‘Bhagavatamela My Tryst with Tradition’ published by Indus
Source Books, Mumbai (2018)
ISBN978-93-85509-08-7 [Includes Digital Resources]
