Tradition Meets Transformation

The music season has evolved from traditional kutcheris and community gatherings to embracing the digital culture

- AASHNA REDDY

COME December, Chennai sheds its usual guise of traffic chaos and sultry weather, donning a festive, almost spiritual air. This is Margazhi season—a month devoted to music, devotion, and the delicate art of kolams. In the early hours, the city awakens to a symphony of devotional hymns, the clink of brass utensils, and the rhythmic sweep of women creating intricate kolams outside their homes. For Chennaiites, Margazhi is far more than just another month; it is an immersive cultural experience blending the sacred and the artistic.

At the heart of it all lies the renowned Margazhi Music Season—a celebration of Carnatic music concerts and Bharatanatyam performances. "Margazhi is the soul of Chennai," says Anusha Krishnamoorthy, a Carnatic music enthusiast. "It's when the city comes alive with art and devotion."

When Margazhi was purely analogue For many long-time residents of Chennai, the Margazhi of years gone by is a source of cherished nostalgia. Attending kutcheris (concerts) once meant physically visiting cultural venues to secure tickets. These transactions were far more than a matter of buying entry—they were social rituals, often accompanied by conversations over hot bajjis and filter coffee at the sabha canteen.

"The queues were long, but the thrill of securing a seat for a legendary performance was incomparable," reminisces Rangan P, a septuagenarian who has attended kutcheris since the 1960s. "People dressed in their silk saris and veshtis. It was about more than just music; it was a gathering of the community."