I am a Bharatha Nayam Dancer from India and I have composed nearly 400 to 500 songs exclusively for Dance.
The Statesman, Delhi , 27April,2001
SUBBUDU SAYS
A touch of novelty Mr. Muralidharan, whosoever he is, deserves the warmest praise for ushering a new era in composing 'varnams' for the Bharathanatyam repertoire with new themes and in a slightly different format encompassing varied rhythmic cycles with matching lyrics. Hitherto, all 'varnams' were entering around the off-repeated theme, namely the heroine pining for the company of her beloved so much so that Bharatanatyam dances was becoming stale.
These thoughts came to my mind witnessing Priya Sundaresan's dance recital held under the auspices of Sur Tall, the cultural wing of the NDMC.The varnam 'Konchum Salangai" in raga Lathangi, describes the attitude and attributes of Lord Shiva with innumerable sequences. It is almost a mini ballet and can even be choreographed for the full length ballet.The speciality of this varnam is that the lyrics are so composed to admit of graceful postures and meaningful abhinaya.
T. R. Subramanyam Says .
Musician and MusicologistI wish to hereby commend Sri. Madurai R. Muralidharan as a dancer of high accomplishments. Besides being a wellknown performing artiste and teacher, he is also a composer of high merit. I heard his pada varnams and thillanas in the 35 talas and I was profoundly impressed by them.
Mr. Muralidharan is an youngster of high innovative talent. I wish him all success.
I know Shri. Madurai. R. Muralidaran, a well known accomplished dance exponent-cum-musicologist, for several years and I have witnessed his Dance Drama "Kamba Ramayanam" recently. It was a splendid presentation on all counts.He is an excellent composer, especially for Bharatha Natyam Dance field.
It is not an easy joke to compose Padha Varnams for Dance. He has composed Varnams, Thillanas and Alarippus in all the 35 Talas which is very rare and complicated to handle. I could see his hard work and dedication in his compositions, lyric wise, rhythm wise, tune wise and I must appreciate
Shri. Muralidaran for his praise worth contribution to the art field and I wish him all success for the bright future.
Sangeetha Siromani, Natyacharya M. V. Narasimhachri
I Know Mr.Muralidharan for several years and I have
been seeing his progress and achievements.
He has bloomed into a full-fledged artist in all respects. His hard work and thirst for knowledge have brought him to the forefront in the field of dance. His knowledge of Bharatanatyam is considerable and is not easily matched by other dancers in the field.
He is a lyricist, music composer, choreographer, performer, singer, nattuvanar and a sincere teacher. His compositions for the dance repertoire like varnams, padams, thillanas and so on are valuable contributions to the field of Bharathanatyam. His dance dramas are a veritable delight to watch and have brought him accolades.Despite his many talents he is a very humble and dignified person who accepts suggestions and criticism with an open mind and is ever willing to improve.I am sure he will be an asset to any institution he visits and will give his best for the cause of this great art. May the Lord Nataraja bestow on him all success and happiness.
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The Hindu february 8, 2002
Smt. Nandhini Ramani SAYS.
Madurai Muralidharan is a dancer, teacher and
versatile composer, who is probably the first to
compose in 35 Talas, many items for a Bharatanatyam
repertoire.
"Kolahala Ganapati", describing the joyful and
auspicious dancing Vinayaka had interesting sequences
to incorporate certain thoughtful rhythmical aspects
to denote the dance of the Lord.Medha presented these
details with utmost ease.
"Konjum Sadangai", a compostion of Madurai.R.
Muralidaran centring around the glory of the Lord of
Dance was the other lively piece that brought forth
the astonishing skill for precision.
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City Express July 28,2001
R Srinivasan of Indian Express says
Muralidharan has broken new ground in the field of
Bharathanatyam. He has composed padavarnams in all the
known 35 taalas, a unique feat not hitherto achieved
by any in this field.
He points out: "Till now Natyapadavarnams have only
portrayed the Nayikabhava stressing the state of
acute, anguished, erotic expectancy of the female
lover yearning for immediate union with her beloved,
from whom she had been separated for an inordinately
prolonged period (Vipralamba).
"The architectonic structure of Natya pada Varnams
depends solely on the multilevel layers of the
composition theme, specially in terms of
Sringara-Bhakti relationship (erotic devotion) against
the background of unrequited love.
The stress would invariably be on the Nayika - the
woman, experiencing the pangs of separation. Every
second of separation would be unbearable, excruciating
agony for her.There is an allegorical content here.
Every human being, male or female, has to deem himself
or herself as a lover hungering for merger with the
Lord - the Nayaka - the only universal male, the
symbolic union of the Jivatama with the Paramatma.All
the Alwars, Nayanmars, Sufis and other devout souls
have only adopted this female role.
It is necessary corollary that padavarnams portraying
such vipralamba situations have so far generally
relied on limited taalas implying restricted scope.
Muralidharan has dared to experiment with the male as
the central figure. It is his contention that the male
also pines for his lady-love, from whom he has been
separated by circumstances. The perfect example is
Rama pining for Sita in the Dandaka forests.
He has therefore composed padavarnams in all known
taalas, that is 35 of them. Just to enable the male
dancer depict vipralamba equally graphically and most
acceptably.
"The doors of Bharathanatya would naturally open more
widely", is his point. It is against this kind of
revolutionary background the Murali's much-lauded
innovative efforts have assumed pioneering potential
and welcome promise that deserve meaningful
encouragement.
He has also composed Thilaanas and Alaripus in all the
taalas, a rare and intricate effort lyric-rhythm tune
content-wise as all these variations supplement
traditional techniques.
Muralidharan has choreographed successfully a number
of splendid dance dramas - Kamba ramayanam, Anarkali,
Nammalvar, Tulukka Naachhiyaar (Muslim lady devotee),
Thirumangai Alwar and Kuraloviyam.He is a committed
teacher as well.
He and his wife Chitra have trained dozens of students
in Bharathanatyam. In dance, the human body is the
instrument that reveals picturesquely the intrinsic
merit of the theme and the presenter.
Muralidharan's state-of-the-art body is an ideal
treasure house that stores and displays the abiding
colourful nuances of Bharata's Naatya Shastra. Widely
travelled in India and abroad, Muralidharan, who has
made, according to Subbudu and Dr. Balamuralikrishna,
significantly praiseworthy contributions in the art
field, waits hopefully for worthwhile opportunities
and recognition.
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V. P. Dhananjayan Says...
(Bharatakalanjali)
Madurai Muralidharan is a very talented Bharatanaatyam dancer and teacher. To be honest, Muralidharan is one of the best and versatile artists of the younger generations; he is not only a good male dancer, but a poet, musician and music composer. His contributions of music compositions to the Bharatanaatyam repertoire are highly commendable.
I have recommended his compositions to many Bharatanatyam dancers looking for compositions. Since he is a dancer himself, the ideas portrayed in the lyrical contents are appropriate for expressing dramatic exposition of "sanchari bhaavas". He needs to be encouraged by connoisseurs and due recognition given to him for his immense talent, both as a dancer and teacher.
I hope and pray that the days are not too far, for him to receive the due accolades from our art and cultural organisations.
Yes. In India and all over the world.
I will give idea later on
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