Chennai: As another attempt to break away from the traditional mould, Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna is organising concerts at Urur Olcott Kuppam, a fishermen’s colony on Besant Nagar beach. To showcase the “Urur Olcott Kuppam Margazhi Vizha” taking place on the evenings of Jan 15 and 16, Krishna presented a Carnatic concert on the Besant Nagar beach on Thursday. The audience consisted of local residents, beach goers and some ardent Krishna fans including former Bengal governor Gopal Gandhi, besides a few curious visitors from the nearby kuppams.
“The idea is to take Carnatic music away from the sabhas and a particular type of rasika to a new kind of audience. It is our duty to broad base Carnatic music, whether it finds acceptance is another issue,” he told the more than hundred strong audience. He urged them to be present for the events and also popularise them through Facebook.
Krishna has already made a mark with his unorthodox approach to Carnatic music breaking away from the traditional kutcheri format and singing for free during the crowded December season.The traditionalists might frown at his attempt to democratise Carnatic music but those who attended the Thursday concert were enthused by the attempt which would see Parai Aattam, Villupattu and Kattai Koothu rubbing shoulders with Carnatic performances on the kuppam sands. “It would be an interesting way to spend our Pongal holidays,” observed Radha Shekhar, a fan.
