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CHENNAI: The Raja Annamalai Mandram in Chennai came alive on December 21 as the Tamil Isai Sangam celebrated its 82nd anniversary with grandeur and tradition. This year, the Isai Perarignar award was bestowed upon Vedaranyam VG Balasubramaniam for his exceptional work in Tamil musicology, while S Naganatha Desikar was honoured with the Pan Isai Perarignar title for his expertise in …

Music

Tamil Music

A movement that strove to secure the rightful place for Tamil at Carnatic music concerts

Speaking at the traditional oriental convocation aka the Sadas of the Music Academy in 2020, Suresh Krishna, chairman, Sundaram Fasteners Ltd, made a strong case for striking a balance between lyrics and music and said, “When language is not understood, the audience switches off.” He argued, “When a song in other than Tamil is rendered music dominates and not the …

Carnatic Music

Krishna and Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who have collaborated recently in Introducing Sangam Poetry into Carnatic music said the work was important because it engages with contemporary politics and makes Sangam works accessible to today’s world. It also has very important thoughts on caste,” said Mr. Krishna, who went on to sing the lines Semmannil Peitha Mazhi Pole, a Sangam …

Krishna and Tamil writer-teacher Perumal Murugan have been collaborators for some years now. As part of The Hindu Lit Fest 2024, the duo will be in conversation about their most recent project - ‘Introducing ‘Sangam Poetry into Carnatic music’. “As a continuation of our experiments to bring other kinds of poetry into the Carnatic repertoire, Murugan and I talked about …

How music evolved in Tamil Nadu since the Sangam era

The evolution of music in Tamil Nadu makes for an interesting study. “The drum, made of mud, is the inspiration behind the Mirdangam, which is popularly used as accompaniment for music performances today,” says Mr. Thirunavukarasu, who has studied the evolution of instruments in Tamil Nadu. Later, musicians began using the nadaswaram extensively and it soon found its place as …

Classical Music

For long, V Tamilarasan had been singing a popular Tamil devotional film song without knowing it was actually a rap. “Muthai Tharu is a rap song,” says the 21-year-old Tamil rapper from Coimbatore. Tamilarasan, who is pursing a Master’s in Tamil literature, believes words, even without music, can turn into songs when pronounced right. “I use words from Sangam Tamil, …