Chennai has the best weather at this time of the year! The margazhi early morning chills are back and along with Andal’s Thirupavai and Venn Pongal to relish, ’tis the season of the kutcheris!
You may also like: What December season means for this Chennai mom
From bookmarking your favourite concerts and sabha-hopping, this is a great chance for parents to get their little ones interested in music and dance and if you are in Chennai- we tell you- there is no better place to be at this time of the year! If your other weekends through the year are filled with shopping at the malls and enjoying fine dining, we tell you here how you must make the best use of the 3 weeks of December music season and ensure your kids have fun too!
1. Attend a prime-time concert at any leading Sabha
Image source: Artist Keshav
There are high chances that the seniors in the family would have safely procured the ‘season ticket’ for the concerts in a couple of the leading sabhas in the city by now, so that they don’t miss out on the best of the season. Get a couple of tickets from them or purchase from the counter (they sell like hot cakes, so hurry!) and take your musically-inclined kids to The Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha or the likes and enjoy the 2-hour concert by the leading vocalists. From neraval, to aalapanai to keerthanai– you will find them all!
2. Learn more at the lec-dem in the mornings
Image source: youtube.com
That’s the beauty of the December music season. If you want to learn music, listening to the best helps immensely. But the best part- the season also offers you and the kids a great chance to learn more about music through lecture demonstrations and concepts taught by the best in the field. From learning in depth about Varnams or expert talks on how to identify ragams to a dissection of Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s kritis- these lec-dems give you a great insight into music.
3. Enjoy the post-concert discussion @the sabha canteen:
Image source: the hindu
So, did you like the Kambhoji aalapanai or the ‘thani-avarthanam’ by the violinist? Dissect all this and more together with the kids as you gulp some medhu vadai, sambhar and halwa at the Sabha canteens, that attract more crowds than the ticketed audience! Don’t miss out on some of the popular names such as Mountbatten Mani Iyer”s canteen, Mint Padmanabhan, or Gnanambika Mess!
4. Visit the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha
Image source: thehindu
Breaking the rules and ensuring music appeals to one and all and not just the elite is something that is happening more often over the last decade. The Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, spearheaded by the famous vocalist- TM Krishna aims at bringing music out in the open for everyone to enjoy and not restricting it to sabhas, but even in MTC buses so that more people enjoy! That means not just the traditional varnams and keerthanais, but also the non-classical and marginalised art traditions that will be performed at this fest celebrating oneness.
5. Play ‘guess-the-raaga’ contest at home:
Not in Chennai for the season? No worries. You can still enjoy the flavour of the ‘kutchery season’ sitting at home thanks to your television and internet. With live streaming as well as recorded exclusive shows of your favourite concert being aired at prime times, you can sit at home and teach your child all about music and even play a ‘guess the raagam’ contest as you munch some popcorn! Howzzat?!
You may also like: Music schools in Chennai every parent must know of
So, get set to enjoy the music season in Chennai and we are sure the kids will enjoy it as much! Tell us all about your favourite kutchery and the food you enjoyed most!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Soundcloud & Instagram or subscribe to our YoutubeChannel for more information.
Neha Savla
KSP Team
Kanishka Pariani
Mansi Zaveri
