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.
R Sundaramurthy, one of the lead organisers, arrived on stage, now beautifully set up, to announced the start of the festival.
The evening began with parai attam by students of Avvai Home. Parai attam is traditionally performed only by men. This all-girl crew effortlessly wielded the instrument, made of cow hide, with elan. They left the stage, with cheers from friends and family, having literally drummed up the excitement for the acts to follow.
The students of Olcott school came next, settling down with their bow-shaped instrument, the villu for a spirited performance. Traditionally, villu paatu is used to entertain and educate people in rural communities, passing down cultural and moral values through oral storytelling. At the vizha, the students recited stories and learnings from the Thirukural.
Soon, the stage was set for the most awaited performance of the evening. TM Krishna and his troupe — HN Bhaskar (violin), TRS Manikandan (mridangam), Sunil Kumar (kanjira) and Chandrasekara Sharma (ghatam) — took the stage. Residents of the area crowded balconies and rooftops around the temple to catch a glimpse of performers.
Krishna performed a number of songs, among which was the first Carnatic song written about the Urur Olcott Kuppam. “This song was written by my friend [author] Perumal Murugan about this very fishing village,” he said on stage as he launched into the melodic song.
“The vibe is brilliant. I loved it. Even if it is temporary and only for one evening, everybody loosens up. The stage here is part of the audience, and so energy is completely different. There is laughter, fun, banter, and food,” said TM Krishna as he waited in line at the bajji stall.
S Palayam, a marathukaarar (hook-and-line fisher) from Urur kuppam, performed some ‘songs of the ocean’ known as Amba Paatu. His recital narrated stories from the sea, where fisherfolk would sing to keep their spirits up on rough waters.
The end to this lively festival was drawn by a sing-along concert by Motta Maadi Music. They performed a range of cinema songs while the audience danced and sang along. Krishna’s words came true. By the end of the night, audiences young and old, volunteers and performers, and children shook a leg. On February 23, everyone at Urur Olcott Kuppam loosened up.
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