Source: The Hindu; Author: Lata Ganapathy; Photo Courtesy: R. Ragu

We used to visit the city rather frequently for performances. We would spend all of December here, forgetting about our school, exams and assignments back home in Mumbai. The morning veedi bhajanai (the unforgettable memory of Sethalapathy Balasubramanian singing his heart out as we circumambulated the Mylapore Kapali Temple Tank) would give way to a frenzied concert-going spree through the day. We would lap them up hungrily, greedily taking in as many as we could. Evenings found us on the stage at The Music Academy (on-stage seating was a novel experience), taking in the concluding concerts of the day. In 1993, our passion to pursue Carnatic music saw us embracing Chennai as our home. It was a dream come true. Fortunately, our talent was recognised by organisers and music lovers and we were blessed with gurus of the calibre and stature of T.S. Krishnaswami and P.S. Narayanaswamy.

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Carnatic musicians Ranjaini and Gayatri speak about what Chennai has meant for their art. Photo: R. Ragu