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“This performance is dedicated to Muthuswami Dikshitar and volition diagnostic lone his compositions,” announced T.M. Krishna astatine the commencement of his December 25, 2025, performance, drafting a thunderous applause from the packed hall. Smiling, helium added, “It’s heartening to spot specified a effect to the composer connected his 250th commencement anniversary. It’s not conscionable astir the composer oregon his works, it’s the dependable of the play that we privation to scope retired to.” The Music Academy was overflowing, with other chairs brought successful and a tv acceptable up successful the foyer for rasikas who couldn’t find a spot inside. The country was a testament to however Carnatic euphony and its revered composers proceed to bid a immense pursuing and relevance — adjacent successful an property dominated by societal media and an array of planetary philharmonic choices.
The country was overmuch the aforesaid astatine sabhas crossed Chennai, echoing what 1 has witnessed implicit the years. Rasikas — strangers lone moments earlier — exchanged knowing smiles erstwhile a acquainted raga, kriti, oregon adjacent a well-loved operation was sung. And erstwhile a lesser-known creation was rendered, they listened successful contemplative soundlessness portion their minds kept the guessing crippled on.
Language has played a pivotal relation successful shaping the classical euphony landscape, with Tamil songs, successful particular, uncovering renewed fervour among audiences. Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s fashionable accumulation ‘Tamilzhum Naanum’ stands arsenic a striking illustration of however the richness of Tamil not lone preserves contented but besides deepens the affectional and taste resonance of Carnatic music.
This besides highlights however Chennai’s yearly Margazhi festival continues to grow, with an expanding fig of youngsters embracing the classical arts. Some concerts this Season witnessed bully attendance from young euphony enthusiasts, underscoring the festival’s widening reach. Concerns voiced by naysayers astir exponential maturation starring to disorganised, overcrowded venues look to transportation small value against the evident vibrancy and enthusiasm connected display.
Despite ongoing debates astir the relevance of the margam — the accepted Bharatanatyam repertoire — often critiqued for its recurring taxable of the heroine waiting for her man, lamenting his indifference, oregon his dalliances with different pistillate successful an property shaped by progressive women, elder dancer Shobana’s show atKrishna Gana Sabha this Season reaffirmed its enduring appeal. Presenting a classical line-up, she drew a full-house.
Kalakshetra’s staging of the implicit Ramayana series, choreographed by Rukmini Devi, brought timeless splendour to the Season and received assemblage love. These look to suggest that tradition, erstwhile performed with artistry and conviction, works.
Conversations often revolve astir reinventing the classical for modern audiences and allowing the arts to germinate with changing times. Constant efforts are besides being made to deconstruct the ethos of an unfamiliar epoch and render it accessible. Yet, arsenic we measurement into 2026 aft witnessing Margazhi 2025, the power of the classical arts is definite to endure — reminding america that portion styles whitethorn displacement and platforms multiply, their essence volition animate and anchor generations wrong a shared taste memory.
When the Grammy nominations were announced successful aboriginal November 2025, they erstwhile again spotlighted respective Indian classical musicians — the precocious tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, kanjira virtuoso Selvaganesh, acclaimed violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, renowned sitarist Anoushka Shankar, and sarod artiste Alam Khan. It underscored the information that Indian classical euphony offers musicians the state to gully from its depths portion simultaneously enriching it with caller contributions.
Fifty years aft the iconic Shakti, founded by Zakir Hussain and legendary guitarist John McLaughlin, demonstrated however classical sounds could beryllium seamlessly woven into Western notes, respective soloists and ensembles person followed suit, staging palmy collaborations crossed the world. In caller times, 1 set that has cracked this fusion codification excellently is Agam, the Carnatic-progressive rock-pop set led by vocalist Harish Sivaramakrishnan. The group’s show connected December 21, 2025, astatine the Shivala Ghat (in Varanasi) astatine the Mahindra Kabira Festival, proved that classical euphony tin beryllium chill and trendy. When they rendered Purandaradasa’s ‘Chandrachooda shiva shankar’, the assemblage erupted successful delight. Equally striking was the motorboat of their latest album, Arrival of the Ethereal (June 2025), featuring 5 raga-based tracks. The opener, Tyagaraja’s timeless ‘Sita kalyanam vaibhogame’, was reimagined into a vibrant caller soundscape — blending nagaswaram, chenda, guitar and Harish’s inimitable vocals.
Concert formats are becoming flexible too. Carnatic vocalist Vignesh Eshwar struck an experimental enactment this Season erstwhile helium sang ‘Ik omkar’ (from Guru Granth Sahib) successful his performance astatine the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
Dancers excessively are striving to propulsion boundaries. The iconic dancer-choreographer Chandralekha, whose extremist question vocabulary has inspired generations, pioneered this tone of innovation astir 4 decades agone successful Madras — past a scenery dominated by rigid, codified constructs of dance.
Today, that tone of exploration continues done divers platforms. Organisations specified arsenic Natyarangam curate thematic productions, giving dancers the accidental to bring their chiseled imaginativeness to subjects beyond the repertoire. Likewise, sabha creation festivals often promote choreographic experiments, giving artistes abstraction to reimagine classical sequences.
Coming backmost to music. How volition it dependable successful 2026? Classical traditions volition proceed to clasp sway, adjacent arsenic hybrid genres summation momentum with the emergence of AI-driven creators. Audiences, meanwhile, volition prosecute with euphony beyond the signifier by discovering experiences that blur the performance-technology- imaginativeness boundary.
