Chennai Sangamam - Namma Ooru Thiruvizha will be held at more than 16 locations in the city, including beaches, parks, stadiums and museums, from January 13 to 17, after a gap of 11 years, said Member of Parliament and coordinator of the event Kanimozhi.
“We have finalised more than 16 spaces spread across the city, including Island Grounds, Tower Park and Semmozhi Poonga, open venues like Robinson playground, and the Corporation ground in T. Nagar,” said Ms. Kanimozhi.
More than 600 folk artists will participate in the events to be held in public spaces such as May Day Park, Elliot’s Beach, Thiruvanmiyur Beach, Egmore Museum and Nageswara Rao Park.
“Good progress has been achieved in improving the quality of public spaces after the DMK came to power in May 2021. We have moved the setting to open grounds wherever needed to ensure unhindered view for those who are at the back among the audience. Music Director Santhosh Narayanan is performing twice with the folk artists at Island Grounds on January 13 and 14. We have built capabilities to manage events of this scale as a part of Sangamam,” said Ms. Kanimozhi.
Re-imagining art
To a question about the observation by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that Chennai Sangamam was yet another initiative rooted in the Dravidian ideology to save the culture of the Tamil people, Ms. Kanimozhi said art had to be re-imagined for the new age and the artists too needed to relook at their performances to add newer elements and, in some cases, narrate newer, sometimes, socially relevant themes and issues.
Explaining how Chennai Sangamam tapped into the aspirations of the traditional folk artists, Ms. Kanimozhi said the process of curating artists for the programme was rooted in inclusivity, one of the Dravidian model’s core principles. “The government will be conducting Sangamam in other districts too. We wanted to ensure that all budding artists know that the Chennai Sangamam stage will one day be theirs too,” said Ms. Kanimozhi.
