India’s cultural festivals blend art and music, creating immersive experiences across the country
CHENNAI: The month of Margazhi has always been about rains, storms and lots of classical music in Chennai. Nevertheless, the concerts have hardly been stifled by the inclement weather. Chennai’s very own Margazhi Sabha Season is a month-long festival, featuring hundreds of classical dance and music performances all over the city, with melophiles thronging from all over the world, to witness them. Originating in the 1920s, the month stands as a testimony to honouring music and dance to this day.
Art Festivals may seem far removed from such classical music performances but the truth speaks differently. Most art institutions and large exhibitions have incorporated music performances as part of their programme. Contemporary art and traditional music may seem like two ends of a spectrum but their seamless blending has enriched many recent art events across the length and breadth of the country.
Art and music are creative expressions, like siblings from a mother. Both can evoke reactions and touch our souls in different ways. One relies on the sense of sight and the other on hearing. They are subjective and can be interpreted by the viewer or listener in varied contexts. Art history is replete with stories of collaborations between artists and musicians. With art complementing music and vice versa, bringing the two together can only heighten one’s listening and viewing experience and create a whole new meaning. Let us hope to realise the immense potential of this connection and witness many more art and music festivals under one umbrella. A true kutcheri treat for the eyes and the ears!
BENGAL’S CULTURAL CARNIVAL
The state which has produced some of the giants in the world of art and literature, has finally got its own cultural event — the Bengal Biennale. Celebrated across Santiniketan and Kolkata from November 29, 2024 to January 5, 2025, there is not only a whole range of artworks on display but also some mesmerising music concerts and dance presentations by renowned artistes. The biennale opened with an inaugural performance by Hindustani classical singer, Shubha Mudgal and has many more such events lined up, creating an inclusive art experience.
THE KERALA ART EXTRAVAGANZA
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the largest contemporary art exhibition in India, is known for its unconventional choice of spaces to showcase world class art. The venues are primarily abandoned factories and godowns once occupied by the colonial powers, which have been repurposed as gallery spaces to display the artworks.
Along with art, the Kochi Biennale also has a dedicated space to host music and dance performances. Cabral Yard, a one acre arboraceous landscape in the heart of Fort Kochi is where a temporary pavilion is constructed for every Biennale.
There could not have been a better site as Cabral Yard carries no architectural remnants from the past and is left to naturally rejuvenate after each Biennale edition, when the temporary auditorium structure is dismantled.
Ever since the first edition of the Biennale opened to the public, the stage has seen a wide variety of music and dance performances. Carnatic singers like TM Krishna and Sanjay Subrahmanyan, as well as classical dancers Swarnamalya Ganesh and Padmini Chettur have all enthralled the audiences with their artforms, with contemporary art keeping company with a waltz in the surroundings.
A MUSEUM’S TUNES
Art museum surely conjures up visions of humans and animals from centuries ago, staring down at us from the confines of a canvas or straight out of a stone or marble. Considered boring and yawn-provoking structures, they are mostly silent too, probably to allow the visitor to focus on the art and only the art.
It would surprise you to know that India’s leading National Gallery of Modern Art, with a collection of over 17,000 works by some of the iconic artists of India like Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil and Nandalal Bose, also holds musical concerts regularly on its premises. From Hindustani classical music to folk music, the museum hosts these performances as part of their exhibitions, providing both visual and auditory stimulation.
THE ECHOES OF MUSIC IN UNIVERSITY CORRIDORS
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, one of the premier institutions in India for the study of art, has moulded many renowned artists. The University is also known for its small theatre called Playbox that hosts in-house performances. The ambience instantly transports the audience to a bygone era with its vintage charm. The 100th Tansen Shatabdi Samaroh 2024 was held in the University last month, with recitals by Hindustani classical singer Purvi Nimgavkar and tabla maestro Hitendra Dixit — a perfect tribute to the legendary musician Tansen on the 100th edition of the annual music festival.
CONCERTS IN AN ARTISTS VILLAGE
Most of us who are aware of the history of Chennai’s artists village, Cholamandal, have always pictured it as an idyllic place where artists lived together, indulging in philosophical conversations over coffee and cigarettes, and painting or sculpting under the blue sky. Although art and life takes centrestage here, the place is also equipped with an open air theatre to house music and dance performances.
Aptly named Bharathi, after the Tamil nationalist writer and freedom fighter, Subramania Bharathi, the facility has hosted several music and dance shows that included all genres, like the Baul music performance by Parvathy Baul a few years ago.