Keli Classical Rhythm Festival 2013 – 10th -12th Jan 13
Exploring the purity of Tradition featuring the Maestros
The year long celebrations devised by Keli to mark its 20th anniversary now enters the final
stage. The celebration took off with a 3 day Children’s rhythm festival featuring around
100 prodigies. Second phase was a festival of Thayambaka exploring its vanishing and
rare traditions lead by the young Thayambaka exponent Panamanna Sasi. This festival will
present 3 percussion ensembles of Kerala and it is an exploration of the purity of aural art
tradition.
Keli will feature some of the most outstanding artists of our time. Senior maestro in
Thayambaka Kalloor Ramankutty Marar, Melam maestro Padmasree Peruvanam Kuttan
Marar and the Panchavadyam maestro Annamanada Parameswara Marar will lead the
festival
Kalloor Ramankutty Marar and his group will present the Palakkad style of Thayambaka
with the purest form of Adantha Kooru . Padmasree Kuttan Marar and his 80 members
team will present the unique Pandi Melam, in the purest style performed in the path way of
Peruvanam village in Kerala, which still holds the best of ancient and traditional percussion
ensembles in a single night of the 1430 years old traditional festival. Annamanada
Paramesvara Marar and his team will present the ancient style of Panchavadyam,
traditionally known as the Annamanada style.
The Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, ONGC, State Bank of
India, Union Bank and Opal Asia.
Tradition is a many splendored, multi dimensional, source of strength, sustenance and pride
not only to artists but also to the people, nations and the societies. It cannot be identified
with or restricted to a time frame, an era or a regime. It is a time-continuam. It involves the
historical sense which means a perception not only to the vastness of the past, but of its
immediate presence as well. It is this insight which inspires Keli to explore the strength of
the unique aural art tradition of Kerala.
Keli Festival’s Free Entry passes are available at Rhythm House, Prithvi Theatre, Giri
Stores Matunga, Maharashtra Watch Company Dadar two days prior to the festival
