Men in Black with the drums

I had a great time last sunday, Dec 14th, at CKP, feating on the daring dance of rajasthan and lovely sufiana melody of rajasthani songs, the beautiful bihu and not the least the drum beats of the "namma" karnataka folk, that made each and everyone dance with the drums. It continued for not less than 25 mins and was a eye catching scene to see the crowd dancing on the drum beats. May be the drumers were that efficient in moving the crowd with them or may be the beats were so mesmerising that it made the people to leave the place and jump on the stage. whatever that was, I loved the ambience and inside my hearts i felt one amongst the crowd and was dancing from inside, hands clapping in a rhythm and feets giving a beat ... I loved the whole thing in itself resembled a real mela, in true sense.

Current Mood: Revived

A note on Dollu Kunitha-

Dollu Kunitha is a major form of art, occupies the pride of place among folk dances of Southern India. Popular as “drum dance” of Karnataka, accompanied by singing, this piece of art provides both spectacular variety and complexity of skills in the process of demonstration. Woven around the presiding deity of Beereshwara or Beeralingeswara, chiefly worshipped by the Kuruba Gowdas of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, also called Halumathasthas, it presents both entertainment and spiritual edification.Emancipated with distinct religious overtones this dance has a origin to the traditional past and is in fac traditionally performed at the temples of Beereshwara. Whenever puja is offered to invoke the deity of Beereshwara, the rituals are complemented with the beating of Dollu.Traditionally the themes were religious and were known as the 'Halumatha Purana' or simply the 'Kuruba Purana'. It forms the center of attraction at all religious festivals of Karnataka specially Northern Karnataka. Often it is used to welcome the harvest season. However, it has been now used to commemorate a wedding, the birth of a child or even a burial or a funeral. The districts of Shimoga and Chitradurga are particularly noted for their excellence in the performance of this folk form. A dancing troupe of Dollu Kunitha consists of about a dozen artistes(commonly sturdy men in black dress) as dancing partners. Against the background we have tala, tappadi, trumpets, gong and flute, raised to a high-pitched tenor. These instruments are purposely used to reinforce the rich vibrations of Dollu. Being distinctive in its use of the Dollu(a specialized drum that are struck with fingers and produces a loud sound like a thunder when struck),this folk form is a stylized dance accompanying the sonorous beating of the drums where men in black form a semi-circle and involve in extremely swift and sinuous movements.