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Kuravanji
Kuravanji is a type of dance-drama distinctive to the Tamils. As
an entertainment its emphasis is balanced between the classical and folk arts.
There are hundreds of Kuravanjis in Tamil. The earliest patron
of this art was King Rajaraja Chola. He constructed a platform in the big
temple at Thanjavur for holding Kuravanji performances during the annual
festival; it goes by the name Kuravanji Medai.
In
each Kuravanji, the heroine, a dancing girl falls in love
with the local presiding deity or the ruler of the land. She appears to the god
of love to grant her wish and describes the divine being's state procession, the
natural wealth of the area, its fertility. Fortune telling by reading the palm
is also one of the features of Kuravanji. In addition to the gypsy women,
songsters, instrumental musicians and dancing girls add to the charm of the art.
The heroine entreats her maids to relieve her suffering by bringing her lover to
her.
Till some decades ago, the Kuravanji's were regularly performed
in temples and the artistes kept themselves trim and in form. With the passing
of the legislation prohibiting dancing by devadasis in temples, the practice of
performing Kuravanjis was given up. The rustic tunes sung by the kurathi waxing
eloquent on the prosperity and greatness of her mountainous abode, have a
naive simplicity about them. Compositions like the 'Thirukkutrala Kuravanji' are
noted for their poetic value. The Viralimalai Kuravanji is noted for its musical
value. In the Azhagar Kuravanji and the Thirumalai Andavar Kuravanji music and
literature are equally balanced.
In Thiruk Kutralak
Kuravanji, a mountain lass is invited to read
the palm of a virgin of a rich family who has in love with the local deity. When
the lass returned home with rich presents, her husband grew suspicious,
quarreled with her and ultimately there was a reconciliation between them. This
has been developed into a dance-drama and enacted in temple courtyards for
generations.
In Sendil
Kuravanji, a dance-drama centering round the theme of
the presiding deity of Tiruchendur, the heroine Madana Mohini appears on the
scene. Spending her time in the delightful company of her friends. She sees Lord
Arumuga coming in procession and falls in love with him. The heroine asks her
friends about the identity of the person coming in procession. They reply that
the person is Sendil Murugan. Madana Mohini's love sickness is forcibly pictured
in a series of couplets addressed by her friends. One of her friends conveys her
message to Lord Muruga. The gypsy woman from Kandamalai now appears on the scene
and describes the Vasalvalam and Desavalam i.e. the prosperity of the land, in
fascinating songs. She reads the palm of the heroine and predicts that her
desire will be fulfilled. Madana Mohini dreams as if she is united in
wedlock to Lord Muruga and gives valuable presents to kurathi. Singan, the
husband of kurathi, now comes in search for her. This is an episode which
provides a lot of mirth and merriment. All the anger of singan gets quenched at
the sight of the valuable presents obtained by his wife from Madana Mohini. With
a benedictory song, the play comes to a close.
Bhagavatha
Mela
Bhagavatha
Mela, one popular throughout the Tamil Nadu, is now confined to a single
village, Melatur in Thanjavur district. It is held as a part of the annual Nara-Simha
Jayanthi festival in May-June. A large flat thatched canopy and a small
stage are put up in the streets in front of the temple and the dramas are
enacted to dedicate the deity installed in the front
hall of the temple.
Bhagavatha
Mela dance-drama is subdued and graceful with, mellifluous vocal and
instrumental music. Dialogue of high diction and suggestive strained
abhinaya and other symbolical action are its hall-marks. Violent scenes of
war and killing are not enacted but only narrated. The Bhagavatha Mela
dance-drama has dramatic interest, aided by classical music and dance. Every actor is well trained in Bharatha
Natya.
The
performance commences with the appearance of the Konangi or buffoon. He
dances for a few minutes and requests the audience to witness the play
patiently. A group of musicians then sing the Todaya-mangalam or invocation song
followed by the introduction to the drama that is to be enacted. Lord
Ganesa then appears to bless the play. A young boy is usually made to wear
the mask of Ganesa and dance to the accompaniment of background music.
Each actor or character is then introduced. After this elaborate introduction,
the drama begins.
Harikatha
Kalakshepam
This is the
art of extempore story telling for three to four hours. It is introduced into
Tamil Nadu from Maharashtra by the Mahratta rulers of Thanjavur. The exponent of
this art commands a stage and audience by his knowledge of many languages, by
his scholarships in the epics and by handling of Chappalakkattai (a pair of
wooden planks) in one hand controlling the movement and tempo.
The themes are
drawn from the epics Meenakshi Kalyanam, Sita Kalyanam and Rukmini Kalyanam are
popular subjects. The dialogue is forcefully mono-acted in a modulated voice to
give the effect of light and shade. The words and music roll as Krishna's
chariot wheels at a terrific speed in a high lilting rhythm to carry Rukmini
away. In this act music plays a very important role and unless it is carefully
fitted and woven into the very texture of the story the artist cannot produce
the desired effect. His success depends on the varied knowledge of a wide range
of subjects and the ability to create the necessary impact on the audience
through music gestures a sonorous voice, a mellifluous tongue, a deep study of
religious texts and folklore, a packing of interesting bits of latest
information into legends and a vast commands on words.
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