Mylapore Festival to be held from Jan 9-12
What started as a cultural event of music, dance, and drama has grown into a vibrant movement, reflecting the strong, united spirit of the community.
From previous year's festival
CHENNNAI: The 21st edition of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival will take place from January 9 to 12. The festival was conceived to celebrate the culture and heritage of Mylapore, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city. What started as a cultural event of music, dance, and drama has grown into a vibrant movement, reflecting the strong, united spirit of the community. Throughout the four days, the festival will feature heritage walks, dance dramas, Tamil plays, folk arts, kolam displays, food and craft workshops, and traditional games like palanguzhi and daya kattam.
Moahan Venkatesan, senior vice president and head of Tamil Nadu at Sundaram Finance Ltd, says that each year, the organising team strives to bring something unique for people to celebrate. “This year, we will have exciting events such as puppet shows, cycling tours, and chess tournaments for students. The chess tournament will be for children aged 8, 10, and 12 at Lady Sivasamy Ayyar School, Mylapore.”
This year, Sundaram Finance has launched a campaign called Keep Mylapore Clean in partnership with Ruva Foundation, a Bengaluru-based NGO. “Through this campaign, we want to educate the public on hygiene and sanitation. In addition, we will distribute cloth bags to residents. We have also planned an indoor kolu exhibit for the public.”
Typically, all events are held in the streets around the Kapaleeswarar Temple, but this time, some events will also be hosted at the Kolavizhi Temple in Mylapore. “Kolavizhi Amman is the gramadevathai, or village deity, of Mylapore. She is the guardian deity of the area and is believed to date back to the Chola era. The temple premises will serve as the venue for kolam, pallankuzhi, daya kattam, and cultural concerts over the weekend,” adds Moahan.
Since the festival coincides with the Margazhi music-dance season, many NRIs and tourists are in town. “We expect a diverse crowd from all walks of life and different age groups, and this is going to be a celebration of diversity and community spirit,” he says.