Wednesday 1 March 2017

The one and only B M Sundaram

There are some people who are embedded in the Natyanjali.
Musicologist Dr B M Sundaram is one.

He travels from his home in Puducherry ( Pondicherry) to Chidambaram on Sivaratri eve and spends five days here.

Sundaram used to emcee the Natyanjali Trust's festival; sitting in that small, fan-cooled enclosure hidden alongside the main stage, with a window to the stage, he would present the dancers and their pieces. He took time to elaborate on the dance pieces and the compositions; so if you lent Sundaram a ear there was much to learn.

The Trust team has documented much of all the dance pieces presented inside temple here at the festival and even published a book on the compositions suitable for the Natyanjali. "But many dancers go back to Bo..Shambho!..', Sundaram says with a shrug.


Today, Sundaram takes a back seat but spends all the five days with the Natyanjali Trust team as the dances roll at a private venue. He sprang a surprise this season when he sang some abhangs for dancer Deepak Mazumdar from Mumbai.

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