The first edition of Astral Creations’ Margazhi Madhyam 2019

The first edition of Astral Creations’ Margazhi Madhyam 2019, which had a successful run
since the 21st of this month, concluded on the evening of Saturday, the 28th of December.

Touted to be the only Margazhi event with the most diverse set of performing arts on offer
for the audience in the city, it was hosted at Bharatiya Sanskriti – the Cultural Wing of The
PSBB Millennium School – Gerugambakkam, Chennai.

The Valediction Ceremony was graced by Mr. K.S. Raghunathan (Composer; Recording
Engineer; Artistic and Repertoire Manager) as the Distinguished Chief Guest, who is fondly
known as HMV Raghu mama and is said to have had the lion’s share of responsibility of all
popular recordings done by the legendary Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi amma. Dr.
Poorna Vaidhyanathan (Violin Maestro; daughter-in-law of the late vocalist Mr. D.K.
Jayaraman), Mr. R. Athul Kumar (Flute Maestro; grandson of the late flautist Mr. N. Ramani)
and Bharatanatyam expert Kalaimamani Mr. Binesh Mahadevan were the Guests of Honour.

The eight-day festival saw a plethora of performances by both seasoned professionals and
newcomers. First, The Millennium Ensemble was launched as a band, followed by
Kalyanapuram Aravind’s blissful carnatic vocal concert. Next, John Pradeep’s ‘Oru Oorula’
delighted the kids, while Ameya Karthikeyan’s soulful renditions kept the audience
enchanted. Then, Super Singer Shibi Srinivasan cast a spell on the attendees with his power
packed Fusion Music, followed by Crazy Maadhu Balaji & Co.’s hilarious staging of the
popular ‘Meesai Aanalum Manaivi’ drama.

While traditional Tamil art forms such as
Mayilattam, Oyilattam, Parai, etc. were brought to the limelight by Kavippom, Kalaimamani
Binesh Mahadevan’s ‘Akshaya Arts’ ensured that their thematic Bharatanatyam
presentation mesmerised one and all. The dance performance by Vanee Kalalaya Heaven of
Fine Arts (Chitra Chandrasekar & Team) impressed many, even as Girijashankar Sundaresan
enthralled the audience with his song choice, mellifluous voice and breathtaking lung
capacity.

Teenage flautist Aprameya Sheshadri had his first ever Margazhi exposure with
beautiful numbers, with Dr. ‘Ghatam’ Karthick’s son Sarvesh bringing the roof down with his
multi-percussion mastery. M. Amirtha Kirthika’s solo Bharatanatyam show was a treat to
watch, only to be bettered by R.P. Shravan’s Bhajans and Abhangs which made almost all
attendees shed tears of sheer joy thanks to deep found devotion. Karthi Durai, Shyam
Renganathan and Jagan Krishnan ensured that every single ribcage in the house was tickled
enough with their stand-up comedy, and the mind-blowing violin duet of Ila Sangeetha Diliip
& K.J. Diliip, that oozed class and experience, ensured a befitting finale to this grand festival.

The content of the shows, except those that are copyrighted, will be available for viewing on
Astral Creations’ YouTube channel and social media handles. The organizers may be
contacted at bhasan.psbbm@gmail.com and 9283272820 for more information.