The Texas Tamil Festival, Austin

[ramakrishnan at mail.utexas.edu]

From: Tamil Students Association <tamilsa at www.utexas.edu>

TEXAS TAMIL FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 6, 1996 2:00 pm -9:30 pm
Venues: Graduate School of Business (GSB) and Batts Hall
The University of Texas at Austin

A festival of art, music, dance and illustrated talks reflective 
of the unique cultural traditions of Tamil Nadu, South India

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* Dancing Shiva and His Saints: Bronze sculptures and Devotion
Talk by Dr. David Sanford, Wheaton College, MA

Dr. David Sanford  is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art 
at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. His research interests are in South 
Indian temple arts, particularly the images and stories associated with 
them. He has spent seven years of field research in South and South-East 
Asia, with particular focus on Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  He will speak on 
the sculptures of the dancing aspect of Shiva and the traditions of 
devotion associated with Shiva worship.  Such traditions are of general 
interest as they have provided much impetus for the development of arts,
literature, and music in South India. (GSB 2.124. 2:00-3:00 pm)

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* Thirukkural: Translator's Dream or Nightmare?
Talk by Dr. Norman Cutler, University of Chicago

Dr. Norman Cutler is an Associate Professor of Tamil in the Department 
of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. 
His areas of erudition are Tamil literature, poetics and literary criticism. 
The subject of his talk will be the Thirukkural,  a poem  of over a
thousand didactic verses composed more than 2000 years ago by celebrated
saint-poet Thiruvalluvar. The Kural, which describes the socio-cultural
values of  
early Tamil civilization, has received more public and scholarly attention 
than any other Tamil text, ancient or modern.  Not only is the Kural the 
most intensely studied Tamil text, but since the early 19th century it 
is also the most frequently translated.  Though English translations 
abound, the allure of the  Kural has not diminished for aspiring 
translators.  In his talk Dr. Cutler will explore the nature of its 
universal appeal and the challenges it poses for its translators. 
(GSB 2.124, 3:00-4:00 pm)

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* Exhibition of Arts, Crafts and Wedding Customs of Tamil Nadu
(GSB 2.125 4-5.30 pm)

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* Ritu Samhaaram: Pageant of Seasons
Danseuse Pavithra Prasad and Orchestra from Madras

A classical Indian dance-drama that blends lyricism and dance in the 
Bharatanaatyam style. Danseuse Pavithra Prasad has regaled audiences 
around the world for over ten years. She will be accompanied by an 
orchestra consisting of V. Uma Mahesh (voice), T. K. Padmanabhan (violin)
and G. Vijayaraghavan (percussion).  The theme of her presentation will 
be Ritu Samhaaram  or Pageant of the Seasons. This adaptation is based 
on the immortal Sanskrit poem attributed to poet Kalidasa  (6th century AD). 
(Batts 7, 7:00-9:30 pm)

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FREE ADMISSION TO ABOVE EVENTS

South Indian food available at venue between 5.30 and 6.45 pm
@ $5 for adults & $2 for children 12 and under

Sponsored by

Tamil Students Association &
Texas Union CoSponsorship Review Board
The University of Texas at Austin

For more information and directions to the venue
contact tamilsa at www.utexas.edu

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