CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday inaugurated the annual Chennai Sangamam - Namma Ooru Thiruvizha in Chennai. The festival will go on in 18 locations in Chennai till January 17. As many as 1,300 artistes from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra will be performing in the events.
After January 17, the festival will be held in Madurai, Tiruchy, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Kancheepuram, Vellore and Coimbatore. The festival is aimed at rehabilitating the folk artistes. In all, more than 50 folkart forms - including Naiyaandi Melam, Karakattam, Kavadiyaattam, Thevarattam, Silambattam, Villupattu, Mallar Kambam, Kaniyan Koothu, Paavaikoothu, etc - will be performed by the artistes. Along with the festival, food festivals will also be organised. Also, handicraft items produced by the Poompuhar are available for sale.
After inaugurating the festival, Stalin witnessed cultural events performed for more than one hour.
At the event, musician-activist TM Krishna rendered a song on Periyar EV Ramasamy, comparing him to Rabindranath Tagore. A lungi-clad Krishna, wearing a black shirt, said, “You (the audience) should identify who I’m singing about.” The gathering got it right in the first try.