A group consisting of musicians, artistes, academicians, environmental activists and fishermen, has gathered at the Ellaiamman temple at Urur Olcott Kuppam. Cultural differences seem to melt away as the group chats about Kuchipudi, Carnatic music, Parai attam and Silambattam. Singer T.M. Krishna and environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman brief them about the Urur-Olcott Kuppam Margazhi Vizha. Saravanan, a native of the Urur Kuppam village and general secretary of a fisheries cooperative, urges the women to mobilise people for the festival. This festival has given us dignity. Before this, people only knew about the history of Besant Nagar. Our history dates back to the days before the founding of the Theosophical Society.This will be a platform for us to present our culture and tradition. This sends a ripple of excitement through the group. This year, the festival features new venues and programmes, but the enthusiasm and energy remain the same. T.M. Krishna Why do we associate only some spaces with art and culture? And why are art forms and people caught in socio-cultural traps? Can we breathe freely without being burdened by these conditions? We raised these issues through the festival. This was the initial spirit with which the festival began in the first year. The second year, there was a deeper engagement with the fisher folk and the cross-section of Chennai’s people. Last year was also the year of the floods. Several volunteers and artistes responded to the context so well. We also honoured the youth of the city, fisher folk and conservancy workers who were involved in the rescue and restoration work. The Urur-Olcott Kuppam Margazhi Vizha is an event where all art forms, be it so-called classical or folk, are represented on one platform. On the last day of the festival, everyone joins in to dance, without thinking about caste or class. Those last four minutes of the festival capture the spirit that drives us all. Nityanand Jayaraman The city’s fishing villages need to tell their own story. The story of Chennai is not the story of Besant Nagar and Mylapore alone. It is also about Urur-Olcott Kuppam and Nochikuppam. Being neglected by history has repercussions on the present. Fishing villages are under-served by the local body despite their vintage. Newer, better-off localities are better served. The vizha is as much about equalising spaces as it is about equalising arts. Actually, it is about equalising spaces using arts, and vice versa. This year, Urur-Olcott Kuppam and Thiruvalluvar Nagar will also be converted into exhibition spaces of living histories of how life was before and after Besant Nagar. January 15, Thiruvalluvar Nagar, 6 p.m. This year, Thiruvalluvar Nagar Residents Welfare Association has joined hands with the vizha and will organise a Mohiniattam performance by Madhumathi and Swarna, and a performance by CinC, a light music band. Monali Bala, one of the singers, says the audience can expect old and new Tamil film songs of different film composers. But it will not be presented in the way they were originally composed. We will improvise and add a slightly different colour to these compositions. January 21 and 22, Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore, 6 p.m. The highlight of this year’s vizha is to take the non-classical art forms to spaces that are not associated with them. Marana Gana Viji, the most sought-after funeral singer in the city, will perform on January 21. His music will reflect on death, spirituality and the ephemerality of life. It will be followed by a silambattam presentation by Power Pandian Aasan’s team, whose name is synonymous with martial arts and cine-stunt training in South India. The city’s fishing villages need to tell their own story. The story of Chennai is not the story of Besant Nagar and Mylapore alone. It is also about Urur-Olcott Kuppam and Nochikuppam. Being neglected by history has repercussions on the present. Fishing villages are under-served by the local body despite their vintage. Newer, better-off localities are better served. The vizha is as much about equalising spaces as it is about equalising arts. Actually, it is about equalising spaces using arts, and vice versa. This year, Urur-Olcott Kuppam and Thiruvalluvar Nagar will also be converted into exhibition spaces of living histories of how life was before and after Besant Nagar.
2017, The Hindu.