Share your ideas!

The most trying part of the fest is in locating open spaces.
We lost a great one.
The campus of Lady Sivaswamy Girls School.
The school management has always been warm and helpful.
But this time, it said it couldn't help us at all.
We had planned some very nice events.
Readings based on the recent books of famed Thamizh writers. A philately exhibition on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the South India Philately Association.
And a show of film 'stills' from the collection of writer-historian Randor Guy.
Maybe we should now look for large terraces to host some of these events!

(P. S. - Randor Guy is anyway presenting a talk for the fest on Jan 7 evening at the Hotel Karpagam hall on South Mada Street . The topic is - Landmark Events in the 75 years of south Indian Cinema. 'Vintage Heritage' will enliven the talk with film clips.)

Randor is a regular feature at the fest.
What would you like him to talk on next year?
Share your ideas with us. We will post them on this blog! (Don't remain anonymous please)

Festival web site

I guess you may have floated through the re-designed web site of the fest.
One of the first Mylaporeans who jumped at being a volunteer was post-grad chemistry student Prasanna. He and his team at Codezplus has jigged the web site ( www.mylaporefestival.com) and some say it looks pretty cool!
What do you think? Mail your comments to us and we will post them on this blog.

Different communities at the fest

When Saraswathi, a scocial worker informed us that the gypsies, who shared the platform with the girls of Stella Maris college last year, remembered us, we were moved.

The Art street on Pitchupillai Street has always been a favourite place among the festival venues. The small art and craft items done exclusively for the festival by the college girls attract women of the locality. Young girls sit down to apply mehandi on thier palm.

The residents of the street mingle with the girls and offer their front yard for storing the items they bring for the fest. Ranjana Tailors, who stitch dance costume still has the painting done by the girls last year on his wall!

What else can be accommodated in the art street? How would you like the street to be during the festival, which is already a typical Mylapore street? Share it with us.

Play Pallankuzhi!

So whats new at the Mylapore Fest?
This is what our well wishers ask.

The idea isn't to introduce 'new' things at this unique community fest. It is to keep it alive with a range of events which go with the character of this heritage zone.

So we got Dr. Balambal, a former history professor to guide us to set up a traditional games zone.
Pallankuzhi, Taya-kattam, Aadu-puli attam and parama-padam ( the snake and ladder game) will be available to all those who have long forgotten these simple but wonderful native games.

I re-discover the interiors of Mount Road, near the TVS area, to locate Kreeda's office to purchase these games for the fest. Kreeda is doing a nice job, popularising these games and even exporting them.

So, bring your grandma to the fest. She will enjoy a game and perhaps guide a little in the fun! ( We hope to have the games zone located off Ponnambala Vadyar Street), near the temple.

Welcome to Mylapore Festival ' 07

Pardon us, for we should have had our blog on the 2007 edition of the 'Mylapore Festival' up here a couple of weeks ago.
Anyway, we must report to you that the fest is well and truly set for a launch of January 4, at about 6.30 pm.

We have come to realise how busy Chennai is in December. Not just because of the famed December season of kutcheris.

We are trying to reach Mr. Pakkiriswamy, the principal at the Govt. College of Music, off Greenways Road, to confirm a nadaswaram troupe for our launch and the calls end in his mail box!

Let me tell you this - these past three years, we have managed to freeze on the nadaswaram troupe only on the eve of the launch; this despite trying to locate the artistes a month in advance!
Each fest has its little lore. This could be one!