Audiences in Tiruchi warm up to festivals of classical arts and Tamil drama during winter

Theatre, music, and dance festivals have been entertaining Tiruchi residents for the past few days as the season brings culture aficionados out to different venues in the city.

Theatre, music, and dance festivals have been entertaining Tiruchi residents for the past few days as the season brings culture aficionados out to different venues in the city.

This week, the sixth edition of ‘Margazhi Manghala Utsavam’, a three-day programme dedicated to showcasing Carnatic music and classical dance performances, began on Friday at Tiruvanaikoil, with a concert by nadaswaram exponents S. Kasim and S. Babu, harikatha by young exponent V. Kathyayani and a recital by the Carnatic band Indradhanush.

On Saturday, audiences were treated to Navavidha Bhakti, a Bharatanatyam recital by Sri Priyalaya Arts Academy based out of Tiruchi and Delhi that explained the nine ways of devotion to God.

Performed under the mentorship of Supriya Ravikumar, the dance drama made skilful use of the stage, with the women cast doing a stellar job in portraying different characters from legends.

Saturday’s line-up included Radhika Shurajit’s Mannavan Vandanadi, a dance tribute to actor Sivaji Ganesan, a solo performance by danseuse Idhaya Herald of Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society, and a presentation by students of Bala Kala Vidhanam.

The festival will conclude on Sunday with a vocal concert by Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan, popularly known as the ‘Trichur Brothers’.

“Margazhi Manghala Utsavam is committed to nurturing young talent. It provides a platform for aspiring artistes to showcase their skills alongside seasoned professionals. Given the enthusiastic response of artistes wanting to participate in our programme, we introduced daytime slots as well, to accommodate everyone. We are happy to see the public turnout for all the events,” Prabhu Venkatramani of Manghalam Group told The Hindu.