For residents of Thiruvalluvar Nagar near the Besant Nagar beach, Maatu Pongal festivities on Sunday evening were a bit different when compared to the previous years. As D. Madhumathi and Swarna Sahasra took to the stage and performed Mohiniyattam, a number of children and adults from the area watched in rapt attention, applauding when the duo ended their padams or dance pieces. The dance was the first event of the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha this year and was organised along with the Thiruvalluvar Nagar Residents Welfare Association.
“Many of us here, especially the children, have not seen a classical dance performance and we wanted to host one as part of the Pongal celebrations. This is a chance for residents of the area to watch and enjoy the dance,” said D. Kumar, President of the association. The area largely houses families whose bread winners are daily wage labourers.
The Urur Olcott Vizha, which was initiated by musician T.M. Krishna and environmental activist Nithyanand Jayaram a few years ago, seeks to bring together a bevy of art forms including carnatic and the folk arts on a single platform. The performances this year will be held across venues in the city and this includes a performance by ‘Marana Gana’ Viji at Ragasudha Hall on January 21 and a performance by Jogappas, a transgender music troupe, on January 22.
“This is the first time we are performing in a community space and are looking forward to see what the reaction to our performance will be,” said Madhumathi, a Chennai-based Mohiniyattam dancer.
Following the dance performance, CinC (Clarity in Confusion) a band, presented a light music concert where they performed a number of film songs. “The association had asked us for a light music and classical dance performances. The Urur Olcott Vizha is organised on the premise that all arts can co-exist in a single space without discrimination and we want to take different arts to different communities,” explained Monali Bala, a volunteer involved in organising the Vizha and part of the band.