This is the tenth year of the Chinna Melam festival held in connection with Chaitrotsavam at the Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur. It jointly organised and conducted by the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam and Thanjavur Heritage Arts & Cultural Academy, which was founded for this purpose by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, Kalaimamani and Natyacharya Thanjavur T. Herambanathan.
Now what is Chinna Melam? Melam means group. There were several Melams in the Thanjavur Palace such as ‘Periya Melam,’ ‘Chinna Melam,’ ‘Bhagavata Melam’ and ‘Sangeeta Melam.’ There is also a folk band called ‘Nayyandi Melam.’ Periya Melam is a Nagaswaram group while Chinna Melam is a dance group — both were part and parcel of the day-to-day temple rituals and special occasions throughout the year.
‘Chaitrotsavam’ at the Big Temple is an 18-day festival. It actually spreads over 21 days with two days for ‘Vastu Santi’ and ‘Bikshadanar Purappadu’ before ‘Dwajarohanam’ (flag hoisting) and the 21st day for ‘Churnabhishekham.’ The credit for conducting the festival goes to the managing trustee of the Thanjavur Heritage Arts and Cultural Academy, Guru T. Herambanathan, assisted by his sons — mridangam vidwan and Bharatanatyam Guru Thanjavur Hariharan and mridangam vidwan Swaminathan.
What inspires Herambanathan to curate this unique festival, year after year?
His voice brimming with pride and eyes shining, he says: “My family has been at the service of Brihadeeswara for generations. My grandmother Jeevayi Amma was the Kudamukha Dasi of this temple, where she had the right to perform Kumbha Harathi to the deity. My father, Bhavu Pillai, was the ‘Muttukkarar’ (mridangam player) at the temple. My mother-in-law Revathy, took up the role of sakhi in the ‘Sarabendra Bhoopala Kuravanji’ drama. Her grandmother, Veenabhashini Amma, was Mohini in that Kuravanji. As a small boy, I saw the heyday of the music and dance tradition and the memories are fresh.”
Herambanathan, now in his seventies, remembers that the temple would reverberate with vocal music, instrumental music and dance, especially during festival days. Chinna Melam, particularly, had a huge role during Chaitrotsavam. The procession of the deity (Veedhi Ula), happened in the company of Chinna Melam. ‘Kelikkai’, as dance presentation was called those days, entertained the learned and masses alike.
Chinnamanur A. Chitra performing at the Big Temple in Thanjavur
The Chinna Melam orchestra consisted of a nattuvanar, muttukkarar, vocalist and a flautist (later clarionet).
The dancer’s repertoire was large — from Tevaram to Krishnakarnamrutam and Kshetragnar padam to Siddhar Padalgal. All the dancers were good singers too. They also knew many languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu, which in turn came in handy in the meaningful interpretations of sahitya. In short, it was arts pursued in totality.
“Gone are those days,” says Herambanathan in a broken voice. According to him, the Devadasi Abolition Act, right from the social point of view, sounded the death knell of temple arts and livelihood of the artistes associated.
“My father was the Muttukkarar employed in the temple. His salary was just five rupees, something that we were very proud of. We are still at the service of Brihadeeswara. We receive the ‘Parivattam’ and other honours – they are a blessing from Brihadeeswara Himself,” he observes. He says that every day at noon, after Ucchikalam, they were entitled to receive four pattais (four cups, each measuring ⅛ padi) of cooked rice every day and so his mother would prepare only Kuzhambu and other items for lunch. Memories overwhelm him and he breaks down: “It may sound dramatic, but this body is made of Brihadeeswara’s food. Our roots are here in this temple.”
Herambanathan’s father was not really worried about his education and told him often that he should learn to play the mridangam perfectly in order to serve Brihadeeswara as a Muttukkarar. That was his dream, which was realised when Herambanathan succeeded him as Muttukkarar. Now, neither a Nattuvanar nor a Muttukkarar is in the rolls of the temple. He wants the system restored for the sake of arts and the survival of artistes.
Guru Herambanathan
Herambanathan and Guru Kittappa Pillai’s families, however, continue their services on special occasions to Brihadeeswarar. He goes down long memory lane — body trembling, palms folded and tears rolling down his cheeks. His spirits were revived when he saw 1,000 dancers performing during the 1000th year of the Big Temple. It then struck him that he should resume staging dance performances during all the days of the Chaitrotsavam. The Palace Devasthanam was only too willing to support him and thus began the Chinna Melam festival.
From the second year onwards, he began honouring senior dancers with an award instituted in the name of the legendary Guru K.P. Kittappa Pillai, descendant of the Thanjavur Quartet. This year, Bharatanatyam exponent Lakshmi Viswanathan and Manu Master of Thiruvananthapuram received the title and both expressed their happiness at being honoured.
Two performances are held every day and there are two conditions — the artiste should perform to a live orchestra and include at least two pieces of the Thanjai Nalvar. It works brilliantly.
Babaji Raja Bhonsale Chatrapathi, the senior Prince of the Thanjavur Palace and hereditary trustee of the Big Temple is happy that artistes from all over the county and abroad come to perform on their own without expecting anything in return.
Ask him about the future and Herambanathan reiterates his wish — that the Government should extend its support to the revival of temple art and culture. Of course, there has been an awakening and the Chinna Melam festival is a step in that direction. But then it requires many Herambanathans, who are emotionally charged, to bring about a big change, rather restoration.
