The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `Nagaswara thavil' festival inaugurated in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 16, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`Nagaswara thavil' festival inaugurated in city

Staff Reporter

Nalli Kuppuswamy recalls contributions of Yazhpanam Tamils

CHENNAI : `Gone are the illustrious days of nagaswaram giants Thiruvaduthurai Rajarathnam Pillai and Karukuruchi Arunachalam' -- not an uncommon sentiment in concert circuits. ` Be it an opportunity to hit the kutcheri platform during the Chennai music festival in December or perform at other prestigious events, the nagaswaram, these days, is confined to the inaugural function' -- this, neither.

Not surprisingly, when the `Nagaswara Thavil Music Festival 2007' was inaugurated here on Thursday, connoisseurs of art gathered there and the audience were more than happy.

Organised by Canada-based organisation Nathaswara Thavil Music of International Inc., the festival would feature primarily nagaswaram-thavil concerts, till March 3. Speaking at the inaugural function, A. Murugathas of the organisation said the festival was being held in Toronto for a decade. It was also bringing artistes from Tamil Nadu to perform at weddings, temple festivals and concerts there. He had even negotiated with the government to help artistes who stayed there for more than a year earn Canadian pensions later.

Son of Nagaswara vidwan Yazhpanam P.S. Arumugam Pillai, Mr. Murugathas moved from Sri Lanka to Canada in the late eighties. Eager to do his bit to promote the art form, he started the organisation 20 years ago. The annual festival is being held for the past ten years.

Industrialist Nalli Kuppuswamy said it was heartening to note that the festival was organised in Chennai. Speaking on the contribution Yazhpanam Tamils in promoting literature and art world over, he recalled having heard a scintillating kambodi by Karukuruchi in a concert held in Yazhpanam in 1961.

Organising committee member and thavil vidwan Thiruvalaputhur T.A.Kaliyamoorthi spoke on the challenges they encountered while planning the festival. Speakers emphasised the role of nagaswaram in the development of Carnatic music.

The festival is being held at Saradha Sabha, Ramakrishna Matriculation School, 71, Bazullah Road, T.Nagar.

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