In the Flute Mali Special we published a year ago, there were references to how T.R. Mahalingam and Palghat Mani Iyer seemed to be 'made for each other' when they played together. In this issue we offer Mali & Mani Iyer (29-32), an article which expatiates on the theme and also explains how Mali, with cryptic remarks, gave an insight into what he really thought of the mridangam genius. Sharing centre space with this article is the short profile of Kalanidhi Narayanan : Dancer Turned Abhinaya Saraswati (23-28). It is complemented by Kalanidhi's own observations on abhinaya.

One of the news reports in this issue almost has the attributes of a main feature. I refer to the report on Sangeet Natak Akademi's Tagore Natyotsava and the creativity in dance it has spurred (16-21). Incidentally, the photo on the cover offers a striking scene from Tomari Matir Kanya' a dance-drama based on Tagore's Chandalika.

The other news reports in this issue are, I would say, very interesting too. For example, the one on a Talavadyotsav in Bangalore tells of the ambitions of the Kamataka Gana Kala Parishat to promote a separate and distinct identity for laya vadya-s ; while the one on the Tirugnanasambandar Music Festival gives a glimpse into a festival where the bhakti-soaked songs of Tamil saint poets are offered exclusively.

For those who like to read about the use of music and dance as media for devotion, there is also an article on Narayana Tirtha and his 'Krishna Leela Tarangini' (35-37) along with a review of a recently issued book containing the Tarangini and a Tamil commentary on it. The Music Appreciation Notes this time are on Pantuvarali Raga (39-41).