Melattur S Natarajan

🪔 About

Melattur S Natarajan (1943-2020) was a legendary guru, performer, and director who dedicated his life to preserving and promoting the Bhagavata Mela tradition, a unique form of temple ritualistic dance-drama from Tamil Nadu, India. Born in 1943 in Melattur, near Thanjavur, he hailed from a family deeply rooted in this art form. He was the grandson of V Ganesa Iyer, who revived the Bhagavata Mela in 1938 and founded the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanti Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam. Natarajan received his initial training from his father, G Swaminathan, and his grandfather, V Ganesa Iyer. He also trained under eminent gurus such as Balu Bhagavatar, K Ramani Iyer, and G Krishnamurthy Sarma. For Bharatanatyam techniques, crucial to Bhagavata Mela, he was trained by K.R. Kittappa Pillai and Pandanallur Shanmugasundaram Pillai. Natarajan's performing career began early, with his introduction as a performer in 1954. He excelled in portraying challenging female roles, including Leelavathi in Prahlada Charitamu, Chandramathi in Harischandra, Yasodha in Kamsavadham, Usha in Usha Parinayamu, and Mohini in Rugmangada. From 1990, he also began performing male roles. Despite pursuing a career as an electrical engineer in Dubai for 35 years, Natarajan remained deeply committed to Bhagavata Mela, traveling annually to Melattur to stage the festival. In 1965, he assumed charge as the regisseur of the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanti Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam, leading the troupe for over half a century. He was instrumental in tracing and reviving missing libretti of Venkatarama Sastry's natakams and took the Bhagavata Mela to international stages in Morocco and France. He founded the Bhagavata Mela Vidyalaya in 2014 to further the tradition. Natarajan passed away on October 15, 2020, at the age of 77 in Coimbatore. His legacy is continued by his daughter, Priyamvadha Murali, who now directs the Bhagavata Mela Vidyalaya, and his younger brother, S. Kumar, who leads the Sangam. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2003).