Nithyashree Mahadevan is practising a rare kriti that her legendary grandmother (Carnatic vocalist DK Pattamal) once used to sing. Sudha Ragunathan is keeping herself physically and mentally fit for a busy month ahead. And, Aruna Sairam is looking forward to attending multiple concerts as a listener.
Nithyashree, Sudha and Aruna — three leading lights of the Carnatic music fraternity in Chennai — are as excited about the Margazhi music season as thousands of rasikas, not just in Chennai but from across the globe.
December is here and so is the Margazhi music season.
Even as Chennai prepares for a nip in the air in the evenings and early mornings, and occasional showers, the city is gearing up to celebrate music and dance with fervour. Tracing its roots back to 1927’s All India Music Conference, the December music season has today grown into one of the most defining cultural markers and celebration of the arts.
Nithyashree Mahadevan, Carnatic vocalist
| Photo Credit:
S Shivaraj
A song for all
“The preparation is 24*7,” says Nithyashree Mahadevan, who has been working on how to present her concerts in the season, “I have been thinking about reviving some old compositions; for instance, there is a rare composition — ‘Buddhiradhu’ — set in Sankarabharanam raga that my grandmother taught me when I was a child. I want to present it during the season concert.”
For Sudha Ragunathan, the preparation is largely internal; she is currently practising meditation in preparation for the busy concert schedule. What else does she do? “Eating the right things, exercising a lot, and sleeping more. When the physique is strong and supportive of the voice, the voice speaks for itself,” she explains.
Lakshmi and Saraswathi of Event Art with Vikram Cotah of GRT
Tradition takes flight
Can the performing arts be celebrated on the ramp? It can, as was proved on Tuesday evening at Marvellous Margazhi, a unique event in which popular stars of the music and cultural fraternity hit the ramp. Even as they walked and danced their way on it, rasikas cheered, in what was an evening that honoured tradition, celebrated excellence and inspired future generations to embrace India’s cultural heritage.
Conceptualised by Lakshmi and Saraswathi of Event Art and held at Radisson Blu GRT, Marvellous Margazhi witnessed several graceful moments. Even as the legendary dancing couple, the Dhananjayans, broke into an impromptu gig, Carnatic vocalists Aruna Sairam and Sudha Ragunathan shared warm camaraderie with legendary danseuse Padma Subrahmanyam on stage. “This is like a dream team,” says Lakshmi, “This season, we also had performers from folk and jazz styles walk the ramp, because we feel artistes across genres have to be celebrated.”
It is not just vocalists who thrive during the season; instrumentalists and accompanying artistes are much sought-after as well, even as they hop from one performance to another. Mridangam legend Umayalapuram K Sivaraman, one of the senior most musicians in the circuit, knows a thing or two about that.
Currently 90, Sivaraman — who has been performing in the season from 1955 — is a big cheerleader for this celebration of the arts. “I remember playing at a pandal in the Music Academy premises long before the building came up,” he recalls, “Playing in the season for more than 70 years feels special. With each passing year, the beauty and splendour of Margazhi is growing in leaps and bounds.”
The season attracts music aficionados not just from Chennai and Tamil Nadu, but also the world-over. Thanks to its generous exposure to the arts and delicious food on offer — the sabha canteens are a hotspot for food enthusiasts during Margazhi. The season also attracts many NRIs and expats, who usually plan a trip to the city in December, as it also coincides with Christmas and New Year holidays.
Shankar Mahadevan during ‘Marvellous Margazhi’
| Photo Credit:
shivaraj s
Multi-genre musician and Breathless singer Shankar Mahadevan has a dream: to stay in Chennai for three days to experience this musical bliss. “What happens in Chennai during the music season happens nowhere in the world. I want to come down from Mumbai and experience three days of sabha-hopping and do nothing else. I want to have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the sabha canteens, and experience kutcheris on all the three days. It has been my dream to do this. Someday, I will.”
Published – December 11, 2025 06:05 am IST
