List of top Performing Arts Questions

The Darsanams of the Gosangi 
Over the costumes, Gosangi wears various objects made up of leather, shells, metal and threads as ornaments. Traditionally, the prominent among them is known as Darsanam-s, which literally means vision or suggesting that which is visible. There are altogether seven Darsanams, which can be neither considered as costumes nor ornaments. But, for an outsider, they may look like ornaments. The first Darsanam that Gosangi wears,cover chest and the back. This is traditionally identified as Rommu Darsanam or Sanku Darsanam. The second one is tied around the neck and called as Kanta Darsanam. The third and fourth ones are tied around the arms of left and right hands. The fifth and sixth ones are tied to the left and right wrists. (For these specific names are mentioned by the performers). The seventh one is known as Siro Darsanam, and it is tied around the already tied hair (koppu). The performers also know all these Dasanam except the Rommu Darsanam and Dasthavejulu (records).

Percussive Musical Instruments of India 
India is very rich in the number and variety of musical instruments. From time immemorial, musical instruments have been connected with various Gods and goddesses according to mythol ogy. Musical Instruments have been classified into Thata, Avanadha, Ghana and Sushira. We came across this classification first in Natyashastra. Thata variety, is an instrument with strings and played by plucking or bowing. The instruments like Veena, Sitar, violin, Sarangi etc. come under this category. The Avandha variety are instruments with skin-covered heads, and are played by beating on both sides or one side. Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Tabla etc. come under this category. Ghana vadyas are those made with metal content. Manjira, Ghatom etc. are some of the examples of Ghana Vadya. Sushira Vadya are those instruments with holes and make the sound by blowing air through the holes. Flute, Nagaswaram, Saxophone, Clarinet are some of the examples.

Mohiniyattam 
Mohiniyattam, literally Dance of the Enchanttress, has its seeds in the deep past of Kerala. Its present form, designed exclusively for the female dancer, is however, a recent creation inspired by the living matrix of Kerala’s social ensemble dances performed on festive occa sions like Kaikottikali and Thiruvathirakali, and Nangyar Kootu, The female component of the highly stylized Kudiyattam, a souviour of Sanskrit theatre. The word, Mohini, occurs in an eighteenth-century Malayalam commentary of the Vyavah¯aram¯ala composed two hundred years earlier by Mazhamangalam Narayanan Nambudiri. Much later, the creator of Ottam Thullal, Kunjan Nambiar in his Goshayatra mentions Mohiniyattam. Reformer Vallathol traced the dance right down to the days of the Silappadikaram because of the definite reference to Ker ala’s Chakyars while scholars like Pisharoti believed the dance had a six hundred-year-old history. Kalyanikuttyamma, Kunjukuttyamma, Kanak Rele are some of the great dancers of Mohiniyattam.

Passage: Prabandh
As Sarangadeva describes in his book ”Sangit- Ratnakar”, Prabandh had two prime forms, namely Nibaddha gana and Anibaddha gana. The components of Prabandh is called as Dhatu. There are four Dhatus or parts of a Prabandh. The first one is called Udgraha, the second is Melapak, third is Dhurva and Fourth is Abhog. There is another part called Antra which was not essential to Prabandh. It was inserted in between the Dhruva and the Abhoga in a particular variety of Prabandh. Prabandh also has six Angas: 1. Swara, 2. Viruda, 3. Pada, 4. Tenak, 5. Paat, 6. Tala. The Prabandh has five Varieties or Jatis namely: Medini, Anandini, Dipani, Bhavani, and Taravali. The Jati having all six Angas is known as Medani, the jati having five Angas is known as Anandini, the Jati having four Angas is known as Dipani, the Jati having three Angas is known as Bhavani, the Jati having two Angas is known as Taravali.