Overhead shot of Nāiyāndī Mēḷam musicians with instruments. From left: Cuppiramaniyan, with hand taḷām cymbals, in a dark blue shirt and lunghi; an unidentified man; Kalidasa (in front in profile) plays a pambai drum pair; Om Periyaswamy; an unidentified man in dark pants behind him; Venkatesan, seen from the back, plays a tavil double-headed membranophone; a tamukku musician in a light blue shirt and white shawl; Mukkasāmi, leader, Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur, plays a sattakulai (cattak kuḻāy) multiple reed aerophone; Conai, just behind Mukkasāmi, plays urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone; and an unidentified man. Recorded outdoors near TamilNadu Hotel.
The Om Periyaswamy music & dance group perform seven dances. Eight men wearing ghunghru ankle bells perform folk dances and songs in Tamil. The ankle bells that the dancers wear can be heard throughout the performance. The dances include the Oyilāṭṭām "graceful dance" with handkerchiefs (Item 3), the Kummi hand clapping dance, and three Kolāttam stick dances in which the dancers tap sticks together to create rhythm during the dance. A whistle is heard at the end of each dance. For Item 3, the Data Sheet references the 1938 A. A. Bake recording, Bake 7.2 "Nilattam / Dance with handkerchiefs.
Musicians for karakāṭṭam “pot dance” folk and ritual dance of Tamilnadu. Two dancers each balances five decorated clay pots stacked on their heads: young woman balances an angel figure atop her pots, young man (probably son of Om Periyaswamy) balances a parrot figure atop his pots. Musicians are led by Mukkasāmi, who dances expressively as he holds his sattakulai multiple-reed aerophone (cattak kuḻāy). Percussion accompanists smile at Mukkasāmi’s dancing, while playing other instruments (left-right): urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone played with two differently-curved sticks by Conai; small high-pitched membranophone with two sticks by a younger drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl; a pambai double-headed membranophone pair played with two curved sticks by Kalidasa; a tavil double-headed membranophone played by Venkatesan; and taḷām bronze hand cymbals played by Cuppiramaniyan in a dark blue shirt and lunghi. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
Overhead shot of Nāiyāndī Mēḷam musicians with instruments. From left: Arunachalam Pillai (?); Cuppiramaniyan with hand taḷām cymbals, in a dark blue shirt and lunghi; Kalidasa (in profile) plays a pambai drum pair; Om Periyaswamy; Venkatesan, seen from the back, plays a tavil double-headed membranophone; a tamukku musician in a light blue shirt and white shawl; Mukkasāmi, leader, Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur, plays a sattakulai (cattak kuḻāy) multiple reed aerophone; Conai, just behind Mukkasāmi, plays urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone; and an unidentified man wearing dark blue pants. Recorded outdoors near TamilNadu Hotel.
Eight men in red tunics and orange trousers, sashes and handkerchiefs, and wearing ghunghru ankle bells, perform dance songs, in Tamil, accompanied by a tavil musician. Dances performed include the Oyilāṭṭām "graceful dance" with handkerchiefs (Item 3), the Kummi hand clapping dance, and the Kolāttam “stick dance.” A whistle is heard at the end of each dance. For Item 3, the Data Sheet references the 1938 A. A. Bake recording, Bake 7.2 "Nilattam / Dance with handkerchiefs.
Nāiyāndī Mēḷam musicians play in front of TamilNadu Hotel. From the left: Om Periyaswamy watches, in white kurta and lunghi; a man in white shirt stands behind him; a younger drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl plays a small single-headed membranophone with two sticks; Arunachalam Pillai (?) stands behind him; Conai plays urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick to his right; Mukkasāmi plays a sattakulai (cattak kuḻāy) multiple-reed aerophone; Kalidasa, seen from the back, plays a pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks; Venkatesan plays tavil double-headed membranophone; and Cuppiramaniyan with hand taḷām cymbals, in a dark blue shirt and lunghi. The jeep of the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology is visible behind the group.
Madurai Om Periyaswamy in costume for the a poikkal kuthirai aattam dance, wearing a “false leg horse” or "dummy-horse” costume, made of paper maché type material, elegantly caparisoned, and draped with South Indian block print textile skirt hiding the dancer’s bare feet. He wears a decorated red turban, blue silk kurta and golden jacket, flower garlands, and holds a wooden spear in his right hand. Conai, left, holds urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone with one curved stick in his right hand, and Venkatesan holds a tavil double-headed membranophone held in playing position with both sticks visible, and dancers, listen intently. Two karagam atta pot dancers stand at left. Each balances five decorated clay pots stacked on their heads: young woman balances an angel figure atop her pots, young man (probably son of Om Periyaswamy) balances a parrot figure atop his pots. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
Om Periyaswamy Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble rehearse outside of the Hotel TamilNadu. The musicians include: Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes), Arunachalam Pillai, a hereditary musician (nāgasvaram quadruple-reed aerophone), Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram artist), Conai (urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick); Kalidasa (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks); Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone); and Cuppiramaniyan (tāḷam cymbals). 1. Props, washing sattakolai. This is not on the audio recording; it is on the video recording. 2. Folk tunes with sattakolai, with Mukkasāmi playing sattakolai. 3. Folk tunes with nāgasvaram, with Arunachalam Pillai playing nāgasvaram and Sankarayya Pillai playing ottu drone nāgasvaram.
Arunachalam Pillai, a hereditary musician, plays a nāgasvaram quadruple-reed aerophone artist (4th from left); Sankarayya Pillai, a nāgasvaram soloist, (center) plays an ottu drone nāgasvaram. Om Periyaswamy (2nd from left); Kalidasa (in profile) plays a pambai drum pair (3rd from left); Venkatesan plays a pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks (7th from left); Cuppiramaniyan with hand talām cymbals, in a dark blue shirt and lunghi (6th from left); Mukkasāmi watches, holding a sattakulai (cattak kuḻāy) multiple-reed aerophone (8th from left); and other musicians watch. The jeep of the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology stands behind the group.
Two dancers in costume for the karakāṭṭam “pot dance” folk and ritual dance of Tamilnadu. The dancers balance five pots stacked on their heads: a young woman balances an angel figure atop her pots, a young man (probably son of Om Periyaswamy) balances a parrot figure atop his pots. Musicians are led by Mukkasāmi, who dances as he plays sattakulai multiple-reed aerophone (cattak kuḻāy). Other instruments L-R are urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone played with two differently-curved sticks by Conai; small high-pitched membranophone, played with two sticks by a younger drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl; pambai double-headed membranophone pair played with two curved sticks by Kalidasa; and tavil double-headed membranophone played by Venkatesan. At TamilNadu Hotel.
