Culture aficionados have been getting drenched not just in the rain but also in Carnatic music and dance recitals at the Margazhi Music Festival in Srirangam this week.
Organised by the Regional Arts and Cultural Centre and the South Zone Cultural Centre and coinciding with the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, the four-day event was inaugurated on Sunday by P. Jayaraman, Joint Commissioner of Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, and R. Gunasekaran, Deputy Director, Arts and Culture.
A part of the Mela Chithirai Street has been sectioned off for a stage to host the performances. The audience, already sharing space with the regular traffic on the road, has had to put up with the threat of rain as well, but so far, most of the performances had kept the crowd glued to their seats. All events have been slated to begin at 6 p.m. The inaugural evening started off with ‘Mangala Isai’ by Chinnamanur A. Vijaya Karthikeyan and Idumbavanam V. Prakash Ilayaraja and party.
A Veena recital by G. Ramadasu and party and a ‘Nada Laya Nattiyam’ dance performance by A. Sujatha and troupe completed the list of events.
On Monday, a stellar Bharatanatyam performance was put up by students of the charitable Srimaan Trust, dressed in pleasing shades of mauve, grey, and gold. Most notable was the portrayal through dance, of the many moods of Lord Krishna as a child. The live musical accompaniment only added to the graceful presentation.
This was followed by a vocal recital by T.S. Ramapriya and party, whose mastery over form was evident in all the songs chosen for the evening. Chinni Krishna Mayuri and troupe presented a Bharatanatyam performance next.
The evening concluded with a Mohiniyattam presentation by veteran local danseuse Vijaya Mukundan and her troupe.
On Tuesday, devotional music took precedence with Srirangam-based Abirami Bhajan Mandali group presenting a selection of religious songs.
R. Kashyap Mahesh and party presented a vocal concert, followed by a Bharatanatyam performance by students of Tiruchi-based Salangai Academy.
The Margazhi Music Festival concluded on Wednesday with a vocal concert by Koviladi Madhwa Prasad, Bharatanatyam performances by Thushara Srinivasan and troupe and Srividya Sundaresan and troupe, and a dance drama by Revathy Muthusamy and troupe.
