Watch Yogi B, Arivu, Maalavika Sundar at The Hindu’s Made of Chennai Food and Music Festival 2024

Experience the magic of Tamil Nadu at The Hindu Made of Chennai Food and Music Festival 2024. A sensory overload awaits.

Twenty years ago, Yogi B, a young Malaysian Tamil television executive, arrived in Chennai for the first time. The sights and sounds of autos, tea shops and the city’s people are still fresh in his mind. To say that he was in awe, is putting it mildly.

“People don’t understand but as a child of the diaspora that read the Thevaram, watched Tamil films and heard songs from here, it felt I was finally touching the soil of my origin. Everything felt like an absolute culture shock. Neurons burst. I could not close my mouth. I saw Tamil Nadu in all its glory and variety. It was a magical, sensory overload,” he says.

Over the years, this rapper and music producer behind blockbuster hits like ‘Madai Thirandu’ and ‘Engeyum Eppothum’, says that his relationship with the city has transformed with years of flying in and out for performances and recordings. The romance however, is unshaken. “Makkal Inga thangamanavangam (People have heart of gold),” he says.

It is this romance and years of cross-cultural exchange between the Tamil diasporic community across the world, that the headliner and his long-time collaborator Emcee Jesz will bring on stage at the second edition of The Hindu Made of Chennai Food and Music Festival 2024.

The two-day event marks the end of The Hindu’s 40-day Made of Chennai celebration that put the city’s numerous facets under the spotlight in a set of events that showcased pageantry including cinema by the beach and an archival photo exhibit at the newspaper’s head office on Anna Salai. At this festival featuring 10 acts and 40 food stalls, on September 14 and 15 at Island Grounds, watch performers like Arivu and The Ambassa Band; Haricharan and the Drums Kumaran Collective featuring Sireesha Bhagavatula; Maalavika Sundar; Motta Maadi Music; Paul Jacob’s Folk Agenda and Gowwli, the band.

High Octane Industrial Rock featuring JHANU, promises raw energy and explosive music, says Harkirat Singh Sangha (Harry), the bassist of the band. Although popular bands like Justice and Rammstein have been their inspiration, Harry says that Ilaiyaraaja finds his way into their minds while creating music. “Our vision is to see crowds till the horizon when we perform,” he says.

Office Gaana from On the Streets of Chennai on the other hand, will blend storytelling, office drama and reliability in a peppy, gaana-style format, says Keerthivasan Raghuram (Monk). Expect covers of popular Tamil songs and originals from this band that came together because someone in their office decided to play a forgotten dholak. “We are 200% excited,” he says.