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.
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.
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.
Overhead shot of Nāiyāndī Mēḷam musicians. Mukkasāmi (center, seen from the back) plays a sattakulai (cattak kuḻāy) multiple-reed aerophone, and Conai plays urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone using a curved stick in his left hand. They interact facing each other. Behind them is a tamukku membranophone musician in a light blue shirt and white shawl. Kalidasa (left) plays a pambai membranophone pair, and a young musician (2nd from left) plays a small single-headed membranophone with two sticks. Om Periyaswamy (3rd from left) watches. Recorded outdoors near TamilNadu Hotel.
Om Periyaswamy Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble rehearsal at the Hotel TamilNadu. The jeep of the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology is visible behind the group. <br/><br/>1. The video begins with views of the preparation of the horse costume props for the Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam dance, follow by views of other props, and then the washing of the sattakolai.<br/><br/> 2. Folk tunes with sattakolai: Rehearsal. From left: Om Periyaswamy (in white kurta and lunghi); two men stand behind him, a drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl (small single-headed membranophone with two sticks); Conai (urumbi / urummi / uṟumi double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick), Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes); Kalidasa, seen from the back (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks); Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone); and Cuppiramaniyan, in a dark blue shirt (tāḷam cymbals). <br/><br/>3. Folk tunes with nāgasvaram. From left: Om Periyaswami watches, Kalidasa (pambai drum pair), Arunachalam Pillai, a hereditary musician (nāgasvaram quadruple-reed aerophone), Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram artist), Cuppiramaniyan in a dark blue shirt and lunghi (tāḷam cymbals), Venkatesan (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks), Mukkasāmi (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone).
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; and Conai, just behind Mukkasāmi, plays urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone; behind him is an unidentified man wearing dark blue pants. Recorded outdoors near the TamilNadu Hotel.
A Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble plays two preludes before the dance and song performances begin. <br/><br/>1. Folk Tune prelude. (00:00) There are bird sounds, visuals of horse costumes, a man assembles the dancers' headgear and props. (04:00) Nazit Jairazbhoy, off camera, asks "Shattakolai?, shattakolai?" A player nods. <br/><br/>2. Music prelude with karam pot dance tune. The musicians are, from left, Conai (urumbi, urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick), Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes), a drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl (small single-headed membranophone with two sticks), Kalidasa, tall drummer, (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks), Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone); and Cuppiramaniyan, in a dark blue shirt, (taḷām cymbals). <br/><br/>3. Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam dance is performed by Madurai Om Periyaswamy, son of Om Periyaswamy, and another dancer, each wearing a “false leg horse” or "dummy-horse” costume. They do battle with dancers in red costumes, who are "slain" and carried away. Om Periaswami talks to musicians, followed by a series of Karakāṭṭam pot dances. <br/><br/>4. - 9. Karakāṭṭam, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. Dancers include daughters of Om Periyaswamy, Madurai Om Periyaswamy, and 1 other man. <br/><br/>7. Karakāṭṭam dance, hoops. <br/><br/>8. Karakāṭṭam dance ladders. 9. Karakāṭṭam dance ladders and karana poses. A woman perched on the ladders holds karana poses. <br/><br/>10. Karakāṭṭam dance, sari. Madurai Om Periyaswamy, wearing a Karakam on his head that is topped by a parrot, unwraps a sari on the ground, then rolls on the sari until he rises fully clothed in the sari, and wears it as he performs with the other dancers, Cārangapāni and Ayyamāl, also balancing pots and parrots on their heads, to the kāvadi cintu hemiola meter. He then unwraps the sari, folds it, and dances with the two other dancers to the continuing kāvadi cintu hemiola meter, until they all bow. <br/><br/>11. Kāvadi. Dance performed by Cenatipati (son of Om Periyaswamy). <br/><br/>12. Nāiyāndī Mēḷam postlude. Musicians Arunachalam Pillai (nāgasvaram) and Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram) perform. <br/><br/>13. Sattakolai Demonstration. At the end a sattakolai (cattak kuḻāy) demonstration is performed by Mukkasāmi.
1. Folk Tune Prelude, & 2. Music Prelude. Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble plays two preludes before the dance and song performances begin. The musicians are Conai (urumbi (urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone), Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes), a drummer (small single-headed membranophone), Kalidasa (pambai double-headed membranophone pair), Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone), and Cuppiramaniyan (tāḷam cymbals). 3. Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam dance. Performed by Madurai Om Periyaswamy, son of Om Periyaswamy, and another dancer, each wearing a “false leg horse” or "dummy-horse” costume. 4 - 10. Karakāṭṭam, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the heads of the dancers, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. Dancers include daughters of Om Periyaswamy, Madurai Om Periyaswamy, and 1 other man. 11. Kāvadi dance performed by Cenatipati (son of Om Periyaswamy), followed by 12. Nāiyāndī Melam postlude with Arunachalam Pillai (nāgasvaram) and Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram) performing. At the end 13. Sattakolai (cattak kuḻāy) Demonstration. Performed by Mukkasāmi.
