Margazhi and Chennai have always shared a lovely chemistry. As the cool breeze strikes in the morning, bracing you for the day ahead, you know you are going to witness a very different Chennai. One that is not melting in the scorching heat or drowned in the torrential rains. With the harvest festival a week away, this is the best month for Chennaiites to indulge in outings, celebrations and get-togethers. Which is exactly what you must do with your kids and family at The Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival 2017 from January 5th-8th.
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The people’s festival
Starting today, the festival celebrates the spirit of Mylapore- one of the oldest and culturally richest localities of the city. Mylapore- the place where my roots belong to, is one of the finest examples of a place that has a touch of ancient heritage and culture and has seamlessly blended with the modern development.
The Mylapore Festival is now a regular event every year, for more than a decade now. Starting with an innovative Kolam contest 10 years back, that aroused the interest of the supremely talented Mylaporeans, the festival has come a long way to etch itself as a prominent event in the city’s calendar.
Events
Starting from mic-less concerts in the Nageshwara Rao park every morning to promote the young talents, the event this year has a lot to interest the young and old alike. Children-specific events such as workshops on jewellery making, kolam designing, poo-thoduthal (stringing of flowers!) are planned for the weekend. There is also a Chess Tourney planned for kids up to the age of 12, at the Nageshwara Rao park this weekend. Art workshops like cloth collage and Pongal-themed murals are also planned for kids. In addition to these events, there are various dance and music recitals, photo exhibitions, food stalls, heritage walks and kolam contests planned.
For more details on the art and crafts workshops for children, click here. There is also a traditional games contest planned for all age groups. Revisit the good old days of pallankuzhi and dayakattam with these interesting contests. If you are a budding artist, you could get in touch with them to proudly display your artwork along with other talented people at the Sannidhi Street.
Here’s why I would want to take my child to the festival
As a city-bred, who hardly gets time to socialise with anyone, this is a golden opportunity for me to show my child, how we could mingle and make friends with new people or hang out with our friends in a wonderful festive atmosphere. For this generation of Clash of Clans and Temple Run fanatics, the archaic games of pallankuzhi and dayakattam are surely unheard of. This could well be my chance to revisit the games I enjoyed playing with my grandmother when I was young. And with these lovely heritage walks and photo stalls, that showcase the beauty of the Mylapore that her grandparents grew up in, I am sure my daughter will know why this area continues to be the soul of Chennai. If you are a Chennaiite or visiting Chennai for the holidays- make sure you are at Mylapore, these four days to soak in the festive spirit. See you there!
Images source: mylaporefestival.com
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KSP Team
Kanishka Pariani
Mansi Zaveri
