Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 23:33:25 +0800 (SGT)
>From: Arvind Agarwalla - Vedika/FACT Singapore <arvind@fact.com.sg>
Subject: The Melattur Players
#1 The Melattur Players
By Deepa Bharath - Madras - The Hindu Business Line - 10th June 1996
An enthusiastic group from Melattur near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is
reviving an ancient classical art form - the Bhagavata Mela Nataka. At a
recent performance, this ancient temple art that combines music, dance,
drama and poetry, enthralled audiences in Madras. Deepa Bharath reports.
On any other day of the year, Natarajan is an electrical engineer
performing his daily duties at the Dubai Electricity Board. But when it's
midsummer, one is sure to find him in Melattur, a hamlet 18 km away from
Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, performing a different duty ... or rather,
fulfilling a noble commitment.
It is here that Natarajan and his enthusiastic group of Bhagavata Mela
Nataka performers from Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanthi Bhagavata Mela Natya
Nataka Sangam, don their masks and perform the ancient temple art at the
local Varadaraja Perumal temple on the occasion of Narasimha Jayanti.
This night, they perform the Prahlada Charitamu, a mythological play
scripted in Telugu (as all Bhagavata Mela plays are), narrating the
dramatic events leading to the appearance of the fourth incarnation of
Vishnu, Narasimha.
"Unless you perform, you cannot relate to that feeling of atma-trupti
(self - satisfaction)", says Natarajan. Grandson of V Ganesha Iyer and
eldest among the five sons of G Swaminathan, Natarajan's natural talent
was first spotted in 1954. His dancing and acting abilities opposite his
father, a brilliant performer himself, won him the admiration of the
Melattur folk.
The glorious tradition of Bhagavata Mela Nataka began in Melattur with
Venkatrama Sastry (a contemporary of Thyagaraja), who fused his
comprehensive knowledge of Telugu, Sanskrit, music, dance and drama - a
fusion that caused the genesis of a new classical genre.
Natarajan reemphasises the word `classical'. He explains: "There were
some elements of theru - k - koothu which were incorporated down the line.
Violence and bloodshed were depicted on stage, which is contrary to the
Bhagavata Mela format. There were also certain dialogues between the
sutradar (narrator) and the characters which were scripted crudely. We
consciously removed all these `rustic' elements as we felt that it didn't
befit a classical art from."
But then, have the Melatturians accepted these modifications ? "They love
it", says Natarajan. "Our group has a terrific rapport with the village
audience. They know us so well that they not only accept but appreciate
the changes we make. They eagerly look forward to the festival every
year."
Bhagavata Mela Nataka being a temple art, is intrinsically linked with
religion and ritual. All the 12 nritya natakas (dance dramas) of
Venkatrama Sastry dramatise episodes from Hindu mythology. These plays
are a fine blend of the concept of Sanskrit drama as envisaged by Bharata
in his Natya Shastra, Telugu verse and a modified format influenced by the
Nayaks and Maratha kings of Thanjavur.
Sastry, a musical genius that he was, mostly used rakti ragas interwoven
brilliantly with the moods and emotions of the characters, thereby
providing scope for exhaustive treatment by way of music and dance. "This
art form is quite similar to bharatanatyam except for some movements and
steps", explains Natarajan. "Hasthas and mudras don't change though their
positions do. It is strange that it is influenced to a greater extent by
bharatanatyam than kuchipudi though the script is in Telugu."
The structure of Bhagavata Mela plays is very interesting. All of them
begin with the entry of konangi or the clown. The thodayam or the
invocation song is followed by the entry of Lord Ganesha who blesses the
audience and the musicians on the dais. After this character makes his
exit, the audience is given a brief summary of the story to be enacted - a
concept that is absent in Sanskrit drama. After an introduction of the
chief characters of the play (patra pravesam), the main plot unfolds scene
by scene.
Though Venkatrama Sastry wrote and composed 12 plays of which only 11 are
authentically available today, Prahalada Charitamu is considered the most
significant of them all. Says Natarajan, his voice laced with emotion,
"Prahalada Charitamu is very special, a play that we are convinced, must
be performed only in Melattur. We were once forced to take it out of
Melattur and at the end of the programme, my father lost his vocal cords."
This is the group's first performance in Madras. Natarajan explains the
delay in presenting his group to an urban audience: "Bhagavata Mela
Nataka performed 30 years ago, was not as refined as it is now.
Originally, local villagers sang, danced and designed costumes. These men
were not formally trained and hence, put up a mediocre show. Our group
has, over the years, removed these flaws and have modified the art form to
please a discerning audience. Only now were we prepared to bring it to
the city".
The group performed both at the Ananthapadmanabhaswamy Temple at Adyar and
the Kapaleeswara Temple in Mylapore. And it didn't take a very astute
observer to note that the audience loved every minute of the show. Be it
the evil flamboyance of Kamsa in Kamsa Charitamu or the aggression of
Chandasura in Hariharaleela Vilasamu; be it the elegance of Yashoda or
the tragedy of Devaki - the music conveyed the mood, the action produced
the emotion and the expression of the emotion enthralled the audience.
But, as much as all these art forms capture an audience, they do not seem
to lure sponsors. Natarajan echoes similar sentiments: "Our major
problem right now is finance. We do not have much corporate sponsorship
though a few companies such as Indian Oil Corporation, Sterling, Indian
Bank and City Union Bank have halped us. We are literally struggling to
keep the art alive."
The struggle to get something out of the State or the Central Government
proved futile for Natarajan. "Conducting these shows means a lot of
money", he says. "The average cost of a ten - day festival works out to
Rs. 3 lakhs. And an outstation programme, minus food and accommodation
charges, costs Rs. 10,000. However, none of the performers are paid
except for the musicians who are hired, the make - up artists and costume
designers".
Because, for these performers it is a labour of love ... or probably much
more than that. "All our group members have their own means of living,
their own career ... there's a school teacher, an engineer, a student, a
businessman ... for all of us here, this is a spiritual exercise in which
we feel one with God. That's way I don't like anybody meeting me
backstage during a performance. I like that blissful feeling to remain.
I've even slapped a few people because they disturbed me. I don't know
how to explain it ... I go wild."
It's not very surprising that Natarajan has difficulties in spotting young
boys with a similar attitude these days, though there is abundant talent.
"We have spotted a few boys and three of them are being formally trained
in dance by Padma Subramaniam and Chitra Visveswaran. Our group has also
established a Bhagavata Mela Vidyalaya in Melattur to offer systematic
training to the younger generation".
Natarajan also has problems in coordinating with sponsors from Dubai.
Says his brother Kumar: "If only my brother had the assurance of Rs. 3
lakhs a year, he will settle down in Melattur without second thoughts'.
Bhagavata Mela Nataka couldn't ask for more.
------------------------------ From BGSU India Digest