Over 900 entries have been received for The Hindu Margazhi Music Contest – 2023 edition. The event, which is open for participants up to the age of 40, is co-sponsored by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
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Of the entries, 154 were received in the Carnatic instrumental category, 584 in the Carnatic vocal category, 91 in the Hindustani category, and 73 in the percussion category. Only one entry will be considered per participant and those entries that have exceeded five minutes will be disqualified.
As usual, youngsters comprised a large chunk of the participants. Though entrants had sent in popular krithis, thillanas, padams, and javalis, rare and unknown pieces have also found their way into the competition this year.
Going the extra mile
As in the past three years, many parents have made a lot of effort to embellish the videos. Some have taken their children to local temples or rearranged furniture or placed decked-up idols as props to ensure that the videos appropriate backgrounds and viewers would enjoy watching them, besides enjoying the performance. In some cases, children even wore traditional attire during their performances. The audio/video entries will now be sent to a panel of six judges.
IOCL Executive Director and State Head for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry M. Annadurai said the firm was pleased to be associated with The Hindu. “As a company, we have always encouraged art and culture. Through this competition, talent in Carnatic and Hindustani music is being identified and motivated to climb to greater heights. It is wonderful to see so many youngsters interested in this classical art form”, he added.