A few Saturdays ago, I was part of a buoyant throng that followed a drum line through Urur-Olcott Kuppam, a fishing village at the edge of Besant Nagar, Chennai's version of Rehoboth Beach. The drummers led us to an improvised theater on a patch of sand lined with plastic chairs and with a blue catamaran sail behind the stage.
The festival featured music, dance and spoken word presentations by performers well-known in Chennai's Brahmin community as well as those typically excluded from the city's classical music halls. The festival brought together Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance with the parai, a Tamil leather drum played at temple festivals and funerals, and gana, folk music from the Chennai slums.
It was wonderful!
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Lined up for the parade |
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Baby's-eye view of the procession |
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Winding through Uru Olcott Kuppam |
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On stage |
love to hear the music!
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