CHENNAI: As the rooster crow hints at a new dawn, the woman of the house draped in six yards of elegance designs a kolam outside the threshold. In the background, devotional chants and temple bells echo, and kids jump and play on the streets while adults engage in dance and music. This scene hardly plays out anymore. But thanks to the annual Mylapore Festival, Chennaiites get a chance to stay in touch with their roots. The 20th edition of the festival organised by Sundaram Finance was held from January 4-7. “We are conducting events on the streets because we are trying to say that these streets belong to us. We live and let live,” said Vincent D’Souza, editor of Mylapore Times and the festival curator.
Mylai Rajendran and his team’s Nagaswaram performance kickstarted the festivities. Six venues were abuzz with 35 events where about 100 artistes participated. The four days abound with micless kutcheris in the parks across the city and classical and folk dance performances alongside several activities.
Shows for everyone
Keeping children fascinated was a puppet show, performed by Muthu Chandran’s Tholpavai Koothu Kalai Kuzhu. “This time we have looked at outreach, therefore we invited Muthu Chandran from Kanniyakumari, who brought his caravan to six schools. Being a street cultural festival, we looked for groups who could align themselves with open-air or street performances,” said Vincent.
The show had a strong message — the importance of education and reducing plastic use — delivered comically. Laughter reverberated in the background of the play that was inspired from Ramayana. Shashwath, a school student said, “I have never seen a puppet show before, but this was funny and informative. The portrayal of Ram and Hanuman was well done. Their impressive use of voice modulation for each character was entertaining.”
Singers
Rajah CA and Vijaya took the parents and grandparents down memory lane with nostalgic tunes. Singing along, waving their hands in the air, and passing on packets of sundals and masala pori, they enjoyed their evening. Ramanadhan, a priest, said, “The old songs bring back memories and a certain feeling that’s hard to describe. Live performances make me happy.”
While performing arts took centre stage on one end, on the other end a group of children were engaged in drawing a portrait replicating the scene of the fest on a postcard. “We pictured ourselves celebrating the festival. It’s a memory that will stay with us for a lifetime,” shared the students from Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya Senior Secondary School. Observing these children was Mouli Priya, the founder of Postally Postcards, who shared, “With the digital era, the young minds have stopped expressing their feelings on a personalised note. These postcards are a start to curate beautiful messages for loved ones.”Apart from cultural collaborations, the festival had food, nail art and accessory stalls.
Keeping up with tradition
The weekend saw the famed kolam and rangoli contest. With rain playing truant, participants got a window of just 20 minutes to design their kolams with the road as their canvas. A six-year-old girl told CE, “I have seen my mother design kolams every morning and that’s why I am interested in this. This practice has helped me increase concentration.” Though the mother-daughter duo didn’t win the contest, they seemed charged to compete next year.
One of the winners of the rangoli contest, Sriram, an IT employee, shared, “I was motivated to learn the art from my neighbour aunty. She used to display different designs every day and that’s how I learnt. And I think this practice should not be limited to one gender. I am a boy and I love kolams.” All the participants’ happiness was short-lived as a spell of rain soon washed away the 80-odd designs that adorned the road.
Looking for shelter, we reached Lady Sivaswamy Ayyar Girls School, where elders and children alike indulged in a game of Pallankuzhi. “I learnt this game from a pro player, my grandmother. I remember playing it with her when I was a child and the game today brought back those memories. My every move was taught by her,” said Keerthana Revathy Ranganathan, HR at Deloitte.
As the rain persisted, the events were stalled, but visitors and participants couldn’t help but gush about how ‘Mylapore is the best’ and this festival brings out its full glory.