Did you know that we have our own martial arts? Well, these arts have nothing in common with Kung-Fu and Karate. To know exactly what they are like, step into Shilparamam, during the current festival. After having witnessed the martial and folk dances of Manipur on the last evening, this evening the focus was on artistes from down South - Tamil Nadu, to be precise. S M Pillai and Mohd Shah, along with a group of 16 vigorous male dancers, performed bamboo dances of their own - "Karrasamu" and "Kathisamu". Symmetric formations and movements of body, bamboos and swords were the highlights of the dance, which later incorporated the use of fire torches.
Earlier, the evening commenced with a lively 'Jugalbandi' of violinist Peri Sreerama Murthy and sitarist Pandurang Mutalik. This production of music, with both the stringed instruments in tune, in contrast and also complementing each other, was a fine experience. The artistes, at their best and in a delightful mood, explored the Carnatic and Hindustani melodies.
Later on in the evening, there was yet another Kuchipudi recital, and this time the artistes were disciples of Y V Acharya. The shiny garments, twinkling ornaments and long plaits were, however, a bore! The same numbers cascade of "Maha Ganapatim", the Annamacharya composition, "Vinaro Vishnu Katha", and so on were on offer. Neither the dancers nor the masses get bored of such monotonous recitals. So, we guess it's okay to have them!
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