CHENNAI: Come December, the Chennai sun softens its glare, the sultry air gives way to a refreshing coolness, and the breeze whispers through the streets. At night, under the shining silver moon, the city flourishes with stories of joy, music, and the melody of life.
This month, according to the Tamil calendar, is Margazhi. The 30 days are spent celebrating every art form in grandeur. “Margazhi magic has been around for centuries. And I am grateful that we are adding to that magic,” shares Laasya Narasimhachari, a classical dancer and founder-director of Rasoham. They are presenting Kutty Kutchery Festival 2024: Concerts, Coffee and Conversations, curated by Laasya.
“The idea is not to take away anything, but to add to the season’s magic. Hence, the festival gives access to performing arts across genres in intimate spaces,” she adds.
The festival combines established and upcoming artistes with the idea of equalising the platform, bringing artistes and the audience closer, and leading to performative conversations.
The second edition hosts 45 artistes including singers, musicians, mythologists, folk artistes, traditional performers, and others. “Here the audience understands more about the particular genres they are watching and listening to and the artiste gets a feel of how their artistry reaches their audience. It is a very informal and special setting,” explains Laasya.
This exchange in classical music is called ‘Rasa’. The audience experiences the essence of what the artiste tries to convey. “Usually, the artiste performs, the audience watches and they don’t connect after that. The performers do not know whether they were appreciated or not. What was the emotion behind the applause they received? But, here at the festival, you can see up close people appreciating you. You know who said the ‘aha’,” points out Laasya.
At this 10-day-long festival, rasikas can enjoy classical, folk, and contemporary dance, music, and theatre. The show highlights the process of performance.
“The 75-minute production that the rasikas watch is a labour of love. It includes how long the performers have worked on it and how much they have brought to that stage. This transcends the audience and builds a deeper connection with the artiste and the art form,” she elucidates.
Laasya believes this connection is achieved when there is a common understanding that nothing is bigger than the arts. She says, “We kind of put art on a pedestal in this festival and everybody is there to experience it.” She also quotes a saying by Lebanese-American writer and poet Khalil Gibran: ‘Beyond the realm of the physical and the surreal I’ll meet you at a point where love exists’.
That point is where the magic happens. “The festival is about an experience that is not tangible. I want all of them to experience something that’s so intangible but you are absolutely taking it home with you,” she says.
Calling the project “pregnant with passion” Laasya shares “The artiste brings everything they have, the love for their art, the passion, the struggles, the achievements, and everything. The stage and the audience who come are also passionate about what they’ve come for. So we are all on an even ground there. What is connecting us is our love for art.”