Winter music and dance festival comes to end; enter ‘Chennai Sangamam’

Come winter season, there is music in the air in the city, and hearts dancing with the dance festival. The music and dance festival of margazhi month attracts a lot of NRI musicians to Chennai, some of who give their performance too.

Chennai’s Margazhi music festival has come to an end. While now the dance festival is on for a week, Chennai Sangamam, its fourth edition is getting ready for a launch on January 10 and would go on up to January 16, 2010. The mammoth cultural show is tht festival of common man, and the street, beach and park are the venues. The folk arts come alive in the Chennai Sangamam.

Chennai has a rich tradition of classical music. Carnatic music enjoys a well informed and sophisticated audience. Chennai Sangamam brought classical music to the open. Afficianados found it refreshing. To the commoner it came without any cost. Sincere thanks to the top line carnatic classical artists who gladly sang in the parks and beaches.

Organised by Tamil Maiyam in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Culture, Chennai Sangamam this year will also feature a folk dance competition for colleges and corporate organiations in the city. Another new feature this time would be inclusion of Western music bands.

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi would inaugurate the festival titled ‘Pirappokkum’ (birth is the same for all and everything - a theme from a Thirukkural couplet), which is also the official theme of World Classical Tamil Conference to be held at Coimbatore in June 2010.

Rajya Sabha MP and Chennai Sangamam coordinator Ms. Kanimozhi told media persons that more than a 1,000 folk artistes will participate in orchestrating the week-long festival along with classical singers, musicians and dancers. The folk performers from AP, Kerala, Karnataka and Orissa are drafted to entertain the art lovers of Chennai.

She said rural games like silambattam, vazhukumaram and malkambh will be included. There will also be an Anna Nagar open night.

Kanimozhi said that schools and colleges would be encouraged to organise Chennai Sangamam programmes in the neighbourhood.

More than 20 western music bands will perform Tamil rock and folk music. The bands will also compete on a theme: ‘world peace'. The open contests will take place on January 11 and 12 at Elliot's Beach.

Meaningful poetry and literary sangamams will also be organised by the Iyal Isai Nadaga Manram. The food festival would showcase various cuisines of Tamil Nadu, Ms Kanimozhi said. A Tamil documentary festival is also planned.

The Chennai Sangamam idea was born when Poet Kanimozhi and Fr. Jegath Gaspar Raj met in September 2006 and wanted to organize a festival during Pongal, centered around the art forms which reflect the shared socio-cultural experiences of the people of Tamil Nadu. It also became an inclusive City Festival to entertain the cosmopolitan character of Chennai.

When it rolled out in 2007, it was an instant success and it became evident that people of Chennai had long been waiting for such a festival that brought arts closer to their homes and lives. Above all a festival that brought them together as a community.

For many it also brought nostalgic memories of their old village festivals. For the younger generation the sheer energy of the folk rhythms and intensity of the presentation and colors were electrifying and enthralling.

The idea to have it in the open parks, beaches and streets was an inspiration from the ‘Bangaluru Habba’ celebrations. The support given by the Dept. of Tourism & Culture-Govt. of Tamil Nadu and the media played a key role in the success of the Chennai Sangamam 2007.The enduring symbol of Chennai Sangamam - the calf-head logo was the creation of artist Maruthu. And the caption is “Thiruvizha. Namma Thiruvizha” (Festival. Our Festival)

The Food component that got added in the second edition of Chennai Sangamam in 2008 enhanced the popular appeal of the festival.

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- Asian Tribune -