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.
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.
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.
Karakāṭṭam dance, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, and karana poses on ladders, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. A dancing woman holds a karana pose while kneeling against the top step of an open ladder, held at both bases by two men. She balances a bowl of pink roses, topped by a flying parrot, on her head, while leaning against the ladder on her bent right leg, and holding the toes of her bent left leg behind her left shoulder, while looking toward the viewer. An elaborate curving necklace rests on her chest. Her right arm is bent across her body, with her wrist flexed downwards. She is wearing a silk classical dance costume with a pleated front skirt, legs wrapped, a choli blouse, and ghunghru ankle bells. This type of acrobatic dance pose (karana) was done by devadāsī temple dancers in the past. Two dancers, a woman and a man, lean forward on their right legs while balancing five decorated clay pots stacked on their heads, with a parrot atop their pots. Their arms are bent and stretched upwards, downwards, and sideways. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
Saraswathi Swaminathan (archivist for the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology) in cotton sari smiles at camera as she holds teacup and saucer for Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy as he records musicians on VHS video camera. Ram Gaekwad (driver for the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology), village men and boys watch. At TamilNadu Hotel.
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.
Saraswathi Swaminathan (archivist for the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology) in cotton sari smiles at camera as she holds teacup and saucer for Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy as he records musicians on VHS video camera. Ram Gaekwad (driver for the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology), village men and boys watch. At TamilNadu Hotel.
Karakāṭṭam dance, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. A young dancing woman balances a bowl of pink roses, topped by a flying parrot, on her head, while standing on her bent right leg, and holding the toes of her bent left leg raised level with her head. She is wearing a silk classical dance costume with a pleated front skirt, her legs wrapped, a choli blouse, and ghunghru ankle bells. This type of acrobatic dance pose (karana) was done by devadāsī temple dancers in the past. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
Karakāṭṭam dance, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, and hoops, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. Om Periyaswamy's son (?) and two younger dancers perform a dance with hoops decorated with frills, while balancing pots, trays of roses, and parrots on their heads. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
Karakāṭṭam dance, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, and karana poses on ladders, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. A young dancing woman holds a karana pose while leaning against an open ladder, held at both bases by two young men. She balances a bowl of pink roses, topped by a flying parrot, on her head, while standing on her bent right leg, and holding the toes of her bent left leg against her ear, while looking toward the viewer. An elaborate curving necklace rests on her chest. Her right arm is stretched diagonally upwards from her body, with her wrist flexed. She is wearing a silk classical dance costume with a pleated front skirt, legs wrapped, a choli blouse, and ghunghru ankle bells. This type of acrobatic dance pose (karana) was done by devadāsī temple dancers in the past. Two dancers balance five decorated clay 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. Their arms are bent and stretched upwards, downwards, and sideways. At the TamilNadu Hotel.
