Warrier's Collage September 29, 2021

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE On Wednesday September 29, 2021 Bharatanatyam Dance Performance https://youtu.be/0DxagGAFkNk (Asha Sharat* at Soorya Festival, Tagore Theatre, Thiruvanantapuram two years ago.) *Asha Sharath is an Indian film actress and classical dancer, who predominantly works in Malayalam-language films and television. She is a well versed dancer in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, and Kathakali. She rose to fame through the TV serial Kumkumapoovu-Warrier Kolkkali Dance of Lakshadweep https://youtu.be/I3c3LIPfmFE (Rare Dance Forms in India) Good Morning Some readers feel, Collage is becoming too lengthy in size, losing focus on subjects. The point is well taken. As I'm sharing one consolidated message everyday with my contacts in the age group 16 to 90 plus, I am not contemplating major changes in the format. Regular readèrs, about 50 in number, know how to select links and texts from the mess I serve. Nice Day M G Warrier A Messages 1) A P Ramadurai Cheñnai Re: Sri R Chandrasekaran's response on long words, in a lighter vein, the longest word in English is 'smiles' because there is a mile between the first and the last letters. ("It's UP to you". See F1) 2) Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai Laya Yoga A reference to Kuchipudi Dance form in Today's (September 28) Collage kindled my thoughts about Bharatha Natyam*, of which I am more familiar. My daughter-in-law Priya, is an Engineer by education and a dancer by profession. She is running a dance school in her house in California. It is but 100% true that dance is described as laya yoga. Whenever we start learning music the first instruction is "Shruthi Maatha, Laya: Pitha." However the word Tala is stated to have been derived out of Ta-Thandavam of Lord Shiva and Lasya of Parvathi. Quite interesting. (Continued at H2) (*YouTube link to watch Bharatanatyam Dance Performance by Asha Sharat at the beginning of this message 🙏-Warrier) B Collage Reading Mainstream Weekly : Article http://mainstreamweekly.net/article11579.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MainstreamWeekly+%28Mainstream+Weekly%29 Excerpts : The latest situation assessment of agricultural households and land and holdings of other households in rural India made by the NSS 77th round has revealed that per capita means of survival in rural India is dwindling fast and both farm and non-farm households are in great distress. It was the situation in 2019, which the COVID-19 induced lockdowns and containment measures further exacerbated. For the last several decades people from rural Indian have been migrating to urban areas for jobs, but the COVID-19 crisis had reversed this trend since the announcement of the general lockdown of the country announced on March 24, 2020. Business and industries in the urban areas shut down and the migrant workers were forced to return to their villages. It has further increased the burden on the rural areas, which was already not in a position to support the rural populace enforcing them to migrate. The returned migrant labourers in millions have just increased the burden on both the agricultural and non-agricultural households. C Rare Indian Dance Forms Kolkkali : From Lakshadweep https://www.auchitya.com/kolkali-mesmerizing-folk-dance-of-lakshadweep/ The term ‘Kol’ means stick. The dance is performed with the sticks in hands according to the rhythm of it. So the dance is called Kolkali that literally refers to a stick dance. This particular folk dance is very much popular among the islanders of Lakshadweep. It is so spectacular that Kolkali has become one of the attractions of Lakshadweep among tourists. D Readers' Contributions 1) Vathsala Jayaraman Today' s Collage kindled my memories of younger days( 1942-1962) Two fully grown plantain trees and the Melam sound symbolise an auspicious occasion. We normally enjoy the grand nadahm and don't think much about it. Nadhaswaram is the most ancient and unique winged instrument closely associated with temples. In those days temple was the main abode of peace and culture. (Continued at H1) E Collage Profile Reliance Foundation Chairperson : Nita Ambani https://www.reliancefoundation.org/who-we-are Nita Ambani is an educationist, philanthropist, businesswoman, patron of arts and sports, and champion of women and children's rights. Through various initiatives of Reliance Foundation, of which she is founder and chair, she seeks to empower millions of Indians with resources and opportunities. On International Women's Day 2021, she launched an inclusive and collaborative digital movement for women called Her Circle. She is the owner of Mumbai Indians, the most successful cricket team in the Indian Premier League, the founder chairperson of Football Sports Development Limited, which launched the Indian Super League, and the head of the Education and Sports for All initiative for children. Through Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, she is committed to making affordable world-class medical care available to all Indians. She is the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee, and the first Indian to be elected an Honorary Trustee of the Board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. US magazine Town and Country* recognised her as one of the world's top philanthropists in 2020, Forbes listed her among the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia in 2016, and Fortune India has ranked her as India's Most Powerful Woman. *Know More : https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/nita-ambani-named-among-top-philanthropists-of-2020-by-us-magazine-for-covid-19-efforts-2680329.html F Leisure 1) Seriously : V T Panchapagesan Chennai An aggressive businessman told his doctor, he was stressed with work... I take my briefcase home every night and it is packed with work... He said this with nervous infection... Cannot someone else do it or help you with it? asked the doctor. No, The man snapped.. I am only one who can do it as it must be done and it has to be done quickly... The doctor’s prescription was this. The patient was to take off two hours every working day and go for a long walk. He was to take off for a half day a week and spend that half day in a Cemetery.. In astonishment, the patient demanded, Why should I spend half a day in cemetery? Because, The doctor continued , I want you to wander around and look at the Gravestones of men who are there permanently.. I want you to meditate upon the fact that many of them are there because they thought Even as you do, that the whole world rested on their shoulders . Meditate on the solemn fact that when you get there permanently, the world Will go on just the same and , important as you are....others will be able To do the same work you are now doing...... The patient showed his pace..He learned to delegate authority. He stopped FUMING AND FRETTING.. AND IT MUST BE ADDED, HE NOW DOES BETTER WORK...... V. T.Panchapagesan 2) Message from Tharoor* : One word in the English language that could be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep is " UP". This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word. That word is, ' UP '. It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v]. It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak 'UP', and why are the officers UP for election, if there is a tie, it is a toss UP, and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car. At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP can be confusing. A drain must be opened UP because it is blocked UP !!! We open UP a store in the morning, but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !!! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions !!! If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with, UP to, a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now...... my time is UP! So, did this whole thing, crack you UP? If you are still reading, UP to U to share further. *Received from Shivaram Shetty Ex-RBI Mumbai G Quotes about Classical Dance Forms https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/classical-dance.html Like : "Indian classical dance is sustained by a profound philosophy. Form seeks to merge with the formless, motions seek to become a part of the motionless, and the dancing individual seeks to become one with the eternal dance of the cosmos." Nita Ambani (Nita Mukesh Ambani is an Indian philanthropist. She is the chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation, Dhirubhai Ambani International School and a director of Reliance Industries.) H 1) Continued from D1 Men learnt to make sounds from conch or Shanka and later by making holes in the horns of ox or bull. Later they started making nadhaswaram from wood, normally cherungali or Karungali wood nearly 42 years of age. They are particular about the age of the tree since the strident notes, strength and intense volume essentially depend on the age of the tree. Nadhaswaram or Nagaswaram is called Raja Vadyam and Mangala Vadyam. In South Indian weddings Nadhaswaram is a must presence. Nadhaswaram is the king of the instruments specially suited for worship inside the temple and during special procession of deities and during chariot or Float festivals. It is designed to be an open-air instrument suited for divine processions with its majestic nadham to be heard for miles together. It is a pleasure to walk along the Mela ghoshti enjoying the hour long Nadhswaram performance accompanied by Tavil. We had walked across Kaveri during Summer to attend the Float featival just to listen to the periya set. The instrument itself is stated to be divine, the bottom represents Surya, upper hole-Shakti, inner hole-Vishnu, body-Brahma, 7 holes -7 swara devatas, and the naadham - Shiva. Those who have resided within the prakaram of the temple can know the timings from the ragas played thro Nadhaswaram. 5A.M. -6 A.m---Bhoopalam, Bowli or Malaya marutam 7A.m---------Bilahiri and/or Ketaram 10 A.M------Suruti or Mukari Noon-Uchi Kala Pooja ------Poorna Chandrika Evening- --------------Sankarabharanam, Kambhiji Bhairavi etc Shayana Raga---------Neelambari As soon as we think of Nadhaswaram we think of 'mallari' Mallari is based on Thillana in Gambheera Nattai. Different types of Mallari in different tala patterns are played. Theertha Mallari during Abhishekam, Taliga Mallari during Nivedanam, Kumbha mallari during Poorna Kumbham We can identify the difference very easily. In olden days there was no specific pattern as varnam, Javali, Kriti etc. In those days Nadhaswara Vidwans used to entertain the audience with elaborate alapanas in grand ragas like Kalyani, Todi, Kambhoji, Bhairavi etc with intricate tala patterns in Tavil. This was known as RAKTHI MELAM and this used to be the highlight of the processions. During the Pancha Prakaram festival in Thiruvanaikovil, the procession will start at 7 P M and it will reach the temple at 7A M the next morning. There would be three periya sets. Those days are unforgettable. I am reminded of all these things today. The Nadhaswara Chakravarti Shri T N Rajarathinam Pillai was born in an ISAI VELLALAR family. He had rigorous coaching from his uncle Tirumarugal Natesa Pillai. He had a particular attractive timbre in the tone of his nadhaswaram which enchanted one and all. It was Thirukkodi kaval Krishna Iyer who finetuned and helped Rajarathinam Pillai to get elevated to the heights of Nadhaswara Chakravarthi. It is nostalgic to think of his Charukesi and Mohanam, Keeravani, Simhendra madyamam and Shanmuka priya and not speak of 'nanu palimpa' in Mohanam by Naagaswara viwans like Rajarathinam Pillai and Karukurichi Arunachalam. Even today the Nadhaswara recital during the procession of Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival at Thiruvayaru with Needamangalam Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai ( Nava Nandhikeswar)Tavil is spoken of with great admiration. Palghat Mani Iyer was so captivated by the intricate Tala patterns of the Tavil vidwan that he began to dance on the streets with great enjoyment. There was stiff healthy competition between the Vidwans and it was very difficult to assess who excelled whom. The great vidwan very often used to say "one need not undergo any austerities or vrata or midnight vigils or barefoot pilgrimage to enjoy nadhaswaram. You need to listen. That is all. I don't get elated when the eminent vidwans praise me. The greatest happiness I have is when a petromax light carrier following the procession says"SABASH' on listening to my nadhaswaram. Thillana Mohanambal Shanmuga Sundaram is a legend. Amidst hundreds of musical instruments,Naagaswaram stands tall for ever.Nothing can equal Naadhaswaram in high pitch, that can be heard for miles.No other instrument can create such a great sense of devotion and auspiciousness. Vathsala Jayaraman. 2) Continued from A2 The tala system of Carnatic Music is unique in the world of music. The time measures used in South Indian music are innumerable and varied and they occupy an important position in Carnatic music. Talas organise rhythm in music. All aspects of percussion are bound by a constantly repeated metre cycle of beat called tala. The talas are not just recurrent time cycles, they rather have their individual structure and influence on music. Just as a raga extols the bhavam of the song, so does the talam, which reveals the mood of the song. The most important member of a Bharatanatyam orchestra is, arguably, the nattuvanar. This is the person who plays the set of cymbals known simply as talam. The pair of talams consists of two cymbals made of different kinds of metal alloys. This can be said because the sounds produced by tapping the cymbals at various angles represent the different sounds of the dancer's feet when they make contact with the ground. For example, striking the ground with a flat foot creates a particular sound, and placing the heel on the ground creates almost no sound. When these two movements are alternated, the resultant sound pattern alternates hard and soft beats. It is interesting to know how the concept of Tala was developed first. People noted that we wink our eyes in a particular frequency. Crows make cawing sound in a particular rhythm. Winking of the eye or cawing of the crow.Ultimately they took the cawing sound of crows as the basis for tala and it is taken as 96 per minute. So crow can be treated as 'Tala Guru'. Bharatha Natyam is a very popular dance form in South India. It is oldest of all classical dance forms in India. Dance of mind & soul. It is extremely traditional and known for its grace, purity, tenderness, staturesque & sculpturesque poses. It uplifts the dancer and the beholder to a higher level of spiritual consciousness. The dancer is considered as a worshiper of the Divine. An embodiment of beauty, charm and gracefulness. It can be considered as a combination of mythological, historical, cultural and sociological heritage and traditionally passed on to posterity. Dance in any form gives lot of happiness to the performer as well as the audience who enjoy it with involvement. It is accepted universally as a major performing art form which has music , rhythm, expressions and emotions. “Natya Sastra" was written by the sage Bharatha Muni about 2000 years ago. Bharat Natyam incorporates most of the rules specified in the Natya Sastra. Hence the name“Bharat Natyam". It is one of the oldest form of dance and it is proven that it has therapeutically lot of benefits to the human body. Each movement in Bharat natyam is well defined and gives benefits to the system. The general interpretation for the name is BHAva(expression) + RAga (music) + TAla(rhythm) + NATYAM(dance) = Bharata Natyam The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. It consists of minutely detailed precepts for both playwrights and actors. Bharata describes ten types of drama ranging from one to ten acts. In addition, he lays down principles for stage design, makeup, costume, dance (various movements and gestures), a theory of aesthetics (rasas and bhavas), acting, directing and music, each in individual chapters. Bharata sets out a detailed theory of drama comparable to the Poetics of Aristotle. He refers to bhavas, the imitations of emotions that the actors perform, and the rasas (emotional responses) that they inspire in the audience. Gods & Godesses pleaded Lord Brahma to create another veda which would be simple for the common man to understand. It is believed that considering this request Lord Brahma created the Panchamaveda, Fifth veda, Natyaveda, an essence of the other four vedas. It is believed that he has taken padhya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (gesture) from the Yajurveda, geet (music and chant) from Samaveda and rasa (sentiment and emotional element) from Atharvaveda to form the fifth veda, Natyaveda. After creating this natyaveda, Lord Brahma gave the same to sage Bharata and asked him to popularise this veda on earth. Following the words of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote Natyashastra or the Science of Dramaturgy, a great, comprehensive work on the science and technique of Indian drama, dance and music. Bharatanatyam might have got its name from sage Bharata also. The dancers still follow this work to perform. In Indian mythology, Lord Shiva is considered as the supreme lord of dance. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva & his wife Goddess Parvathi. The Dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava, which depicts his violent nature as the destructor of the universe. The tandava performed with joy is called Ananda Tandava and performed in violent mood is called Rudra Tandava. There are three essential elements of dance Nritta, Nritya and Natya. Nritta is the rhythmic or tala element. It interprets rhythm with the aid of body movements. Nritya is a combination of Rhythm and Expression called abhinaya. The Sanskrit term 'abhinaya' means, to convey or educate. Natya is a combination of nritta and nritya. It is actually a visual painting. Vathsala Jayaraman