“Raids or politics should not affect the festival and what the artists are showcasing. Chennai Sangamam is not a festival on personalities,” said Member of Parliament Kanimozhi to questions from press persons on whether the annual open festival of the city has lost its fervour.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday to announce the events for Tamil Sangamam, which is also part of Chennai Sangamam, she said that the festival has not lost its charm. “I can't find much of a difference.”
However, she said a number of other things have come down in this edition of the festival. “The number of folk artistes has been reduced as it was difficult to find accommodation,” she said. Last year, nearly 1,200 folk artistes were part of the festival, this time it is 850-900.
Kanimozhi, who is on the board of directors of Tamil Maiyam, the main organiser of Chennai Sangamam, said that the number of food stalls had come down and the illumination is a little less. Regarding sponsors, she said that it is “more spread out.”
Tamil Sangamam, a five-day festival celebrating art and literature, will open on Saturday with the launch of works of Rabindranath Tagore at LLA Building, Anna Salai. Other events include a programme on letter writing as literature, autobiographies and a talk on ‘Tomorrow's Cinema' where well-known directors and technicians would be participating.
