The Podhu Dikshithars of Lord Nataraja temple here have decided to conduct the Natyanjalai festival from next Mahasivaratri.
In a statement released here, president of the newly floated Thillai Natya Anjali Trust, S.V. Navamani Dikshithar, said that the Trust was happy to announce that hereafter it would conduct the dance festival on the hallowed precincts of the temple.
All aspiring dancers can register for the event before November 31.
By this move, the Dikshithars have put the Natyanjali Trust, a private set-up consisting of prominent citizens that has been organising the events since 1981, in a very tight spot.
Secretary of the Podhu Dikshithars’ Committee Bhaskara Dikshithar said, “The idea of conducting the annual dance festival was mooted by a group of dikshithars during a routine meeting related to the temple administration”.
Every dikshithar had a set of patrons who had voiced their anguish that under the present dispensation many aspiring dancers do not get a chance to perform in the festival.
The office-bearers of the Natyanjali Trust are taken by surprise by the decision of the Dikshithars.
When contacted, its president, Natarajan, told The Hindu that he had not received any communication in this regard from the Dikshithars.
However, he would definitely have a talk with the Podhu Dikshithars’ Committee in this regard and take a decision.
The Natyanjali Trust organised event has been a prestigious occasion for practitioners of classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Kuchipudi. It used to attract many entries not only from across the country but also from abroad.
