Melattur Venkatarama Sastry

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Melattur Venkatarama Sastry (c. 1743–1809) was a revered Telugu poet and playwright, widely recognized as the founder of the Bhagavata Mela dance-drama tradition in Melattur, a village in the Thanjavur region of present-day Tamil Nadu, India. Born in Melattur, he was the son of Gopalakrishna Sastry, who was also involved in composing and acting in dance-dramas. Venkatarama Sastry received his training in music and dance from Lakshmanarya (also known as Melattur Lakshmanayya), a disciple of Veerabadrayya, and was proficient in Sanskrit. Sastry's profound knowledge of Telugu, Sanskrit, music, dance, and drama enabled him to usher in a new era of dance-dramas in Melattur. He composed at least ten to twelve *nrtyanatakas* (dance-dramas) in Telugu, drawing themes primarily from the Srimad Bhagavatam. These works, dedicated to Lord Varadaraja, the presiding deity of Melattur village, are central to the Bhagavata Mela repertoire performed today. His compositions are rich in various forms, including *churnikas, champakamalas, darus, dwipadas, kandams, kandarthas, padhas, padha-varnas, padyams, sandhivachanas, sardoolams, sisams, vachanas*, and *thillanas*. The Bhagavata Mela tradition, as conceived by Sastry, is a unique blend of spirituality, classical music, dance, and drama, performed traditionally by male Brahmin priests as a ritualistic worship of Lord Vishnu. While distinct, the Bhagavata Mela tradition and its compositions have significantly influenced and contributed to the repertoire of present-day Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Sastry was an elder contemporary of the renowned saint-composer Tyagaraja (1767–1847) and a contemporary of Ramaswamy Dikshitar (1735–1817). Although he died without direct descendants, his tradition was meticulously carried forward by individuals like Venkataramanayya and Venkatarama Josyar, who are considered his torch-bearers, ensuring the continuity of this unique art form.