| Lavani
Lavani is a musical discussion. It has something in common
with the bow-song. It is performed in the months of April-May to herald
the coming of spring chiefly in Thanjavur district, the culturally important
areas in Tiruchirappalli district and in Madurai district.
One team argues that Manmatha or Kaman, the god of love was burnt to death
by lord Shiva and that it was a physical act reducing him to ashes. The
other team argues that it was an allegory. What was burnt was Kama or
Carnal desire and maintains that Kaman never died and that he has ingrained
himself in the heart of countless souls. In counter-arguments and rebuttals,
ideas or religion and ethics are put forward to the accompaniment of drum
music provided by each of the singers in the group. References are made
to the Puranas and the Shastras. The performance lasts a whole night and
groups of singers treat the crowd to great entertainment by their fluency
of thought and speech. At the end of the Lavani performance, a replica
of Manmathas mount is burnt. The earlier and original Kaman pandigai of
the Tamils is said to have consisted of dirge songs in front of a symbolical
representation of Manmatha.
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