For arts enthusiasts in Kerala, summer is an eventful time with the annual temple festivals offering a wide range of live performances. But the COVID-19 crisis has forced postponement or even cancellation of most of these events this year. Unfazed, a temple in Kottayam has found a way to go ahead with its annual music festival.
The Thrikkayil Subramanya Swami temple at Nendoor, near Ettumanur, hosted its famed six-day Medashashti Sangeethotsavam by live-streaming performances and posting videos on social media.
As many as 85 musicians and percussionists including the likes of T.H. Subramaniam, Mathangi Sathyamoorthy, Shengottai Harihara Subrahmanyam, Udupi Sreedhar, Salem Venugopal, and Nenmara Brothers performed from their homes for the event.
A decision to organise the event followed requests by artistes and music aficionados, according to the temple authority. “The event, with its unique line-up of musicians, has become a huge draw for music lovers. Going ahead with the programme this year was deemed impossible. Then several of our regular performers came up with a request to perform online,” said Ashok Rajan, convener of the event.
Though there were some connectivity issues at times, these performances, lasting from a few minutes to an hour, have garnered an overwhelming response from artistes.
“Though scheduled as a six-day event from April 24 to 29, the event is still running with more artists volunteering to perform as an offering to the main deity here,” Mr. Rajan added.
Shengottai Harihara Subrahmanyam was one of the first to commit to the online performance. “I performed live from my living room without my usual percussion. The one-hour performance was designed as a tribute to the deity as well as to the music fans here,” he said.
The temple authority now intends to organise a week-long classical dance event on similar lines. The list and schedule of performers are being finalised, they said.
