The aroma of the salty sea breeze, milky tea and freshly-fried bajjis, welcomed guests who greeted each other like old friends at the Ururu Olcott Kuppam Vizha. Overheard as the slow building crowd settled, were words of nostalgia. One could hear the beats of Chandrasekara Sharma’s ghatam in preparation for singer TM Krishna’s performance as the waves crashed rhythmically in the distance.
Back after six years, this counter-culture festival by Besant Nagar beach, saw sonorous sing-alongs to film songs by Motta Maadi Music and spirited performances of parai aatam, villu paatu, amba music and TM Krishna’s Carnatic music on February 23. The venue for this crowd-funded festival, was the Ellaiamman temple where a make-shift stage was set up against the backdrop of the gopuram in construction.
