News-Views-Reviews:Upcoming cultural events across the globe

The Carnatica Brothers, K N Shashikiran and P Ganesh will be featured in a vocal concert at Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple (Balaji Temple) at Chicago on May 17, 2003 at 6 pm. They will be accompanied by veteran violinist M S Anantaraman and B Sivaraman (mridangam). Music lovers are requested to note that the concert will take place at the Temple's new facility. Admission tickets are $ 12 per person, $ 20 (Couple), $ 30 (Family). Season passes are also available at $ 60 (Single), $ 75 (Couple), $ 100 (Family). For more details, please contact 630-844-2252 or visit www.balaji.org.

Sai Laya Mandir will present three programmes for the month of May at the Divine Science Community Center, 1540 Hicks Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125. The first programme is a lecture-concert by Chitravina N Ravikiran on the brilliance of Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi, and is scheduled to take place on May 17. Ravikiran will be accompanied by H V Srivatsan and Ramesh Srinivasan. The Carnatica Brothers will be featured on May 23 in a vocal duet, accompanied by M S Anantaraman, B Sivaraman and Ramesh Srinivasan (double mridangam). The final concert, scheduled to take place on May 30, will feature veteran vocalist T K Govinda Rao with Anuradha Sridhar and Ramesh Srinivasan. For more details about these programmes or to buy tickets online, please visit http://www.indolink.com/sailaya.

The great Bhagavata Mela tradition, a rare temple/theatre art in a unique blend of Bhakti, music, dance and drama, which has been in vogue for the last 450 years, is the only surviving link today in Tamilnadu to the ancient Sanskrit theatre. The Bhagavata Mela Natakas, composed by Melattur Venkatarama Sastry (1743-1809 AD), are performed annually, in adherence to the Natya Veda, in the sannidhi of Lord Sri Varadaraja, the presiding deity of Melattur village as a part of Sri Nrisimha Jayanti Vasantotsav. This year's Mela will take place between the 14th and 23rd of May. The following is the schedule for this event:

Date	Time	Programme
May 14, 2003	7.30 pm	Mangala Isai – Nagaswaram by Tirukarugavur Brothers, T K Ramanan & T K Saravanan
	9 pm	Inauguration of Bhagavata Mela Nataka Mahotsav
	9.20 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Prahlada Charitam
May 15	7.30 pm	Bhakti Sandhya - A music & dance tribute to great poets of Bhakti Movement by Anupama Kulash (dance) and Anasuya Murthy (music)
May 15	9.15 pm	Nrityodaya presents Bharata Nrityam by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam
May 16	7.30 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Dhruva Charitam
May 17	7.30 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Harischandra Natakam, Part 1
May 18	7.30 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Harischandra Natakam, Part 2
May 19	7.30 pm	Odissi by Masako Ono
	8.30 pm	Gaudiya Nritya by Banini Chakraborty
	10 pm	Odissi by Shalini Sharma
May 20	7.30 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Kamsa Vadham
May 21	7.30 pm	Bhagavata Mela Natakam - Seeta Parinayam
May 22	7.30 pm	Tamil Opera composed by eminent Tamil Scholars - Valli Tirumanam
May 23	7.30 pm onwards	Concluding Rituals - Sri Anjaneya Aradhana Nama Sankeertanam by Udayalur Balarama Bhagavatar & Bhagavata Mela Artistes followed by the procession of deity, Lord Nrisimha with His consorts