Pambai to kombu: This Chennai music museum showcases traditional Tamil instruments

Chennai-based Kosai Nagaraan Tholisai Karuviyagam, which has a collection of over 80 instruments, aims to bring back traditional Tamil instruments to the limelight

Koyambedu, one of Chennai’s most vibrant localities, is well known for two places: the vegetable market and the bus terminus.

The din of buses and autorickshaws is deafening at this main road that connects Chennai to other major cities. At Koyambedu, everybody is in a hurry to get somewhere. Which is why the music emanating from Kosai Nagaraan Tholisai Karuviyagam grabs attention.

Tucked in an alley that houses many transport and courier shops, Kosai Nagaraan Tholisai Karuviyagam has been championing the cause of traditional Tamil instruments since 2010.

The thakkai, kudamuzha and kokkarai find pride of place here. “Our aim is to spread awareness about these wonderful Tamil instruments that have been around for many centuries,” says Civattiru S Sivakumar, the man behind the centre.

There are no glass vitrines at Kosai Nagaraan Tholisai Karuviyagam. Here, you can try your hand at thumping a pambai or blow into a kombu. “When you touch and play, you can feel the depth of the instrument.” With film director Mani Ratnam’s recent  Ponniyin Selvan sparking off an interest in the Cholas and Tamil culture, this centre, currently home to more than 80 traditional instruments, is in the limelight.

Music for the soul

The seed of Kosai Nagaraan Tholisai Karuviyagam started in 2010 when Sivakumar, then working at the production unit of a leading car manufacturer, visited the Thyagaraja Swamy temple at Tiruvarur. “I remember that day vividly,” he says, wide eyed, “Somewhere, an instrument was being played, and I started dancing. I have never been associated with music till that day, and I didn’t know what prompted me to do that. When I pondered over it, I realised that the music from that instrument had made me move.”