CHENNAI: The stage was set, and the audience was curious, as musician Subasri and her students took the stage to a loud cheer outside Mylapore's iconic Kapaleeshwarar Temple on Thursday evening.
The crew took the audience through the history of Mylapore, from its inception as a humble town to becoming Chennai's cultural hub, with their melodies and quirky banter.
The performance, titled 'Namma Mylapore: Paatum Kathaiyum', was paused with giggles and laughter as the crowd got lost in the performance of the little singers on stage. "Our performance is to celebrate and recollect the history of this beautiful neighbourhood," said Subasri, as the showcase began.
Filled with songs and narration, the performance was specially crafted by Subasri for the Sundaram Finance Mylapore festival, keeping in mind its essence to celebrate the locality. From the Romans to filter coffee, the performance covered everything. "We brought this to life in a month.
It's been exciting and fulfilling to be part of this," says Dhanya Krithivasan, one of the performers.
Her favourite part remained the finale song, a take on Ilaiyaraaja's 'Sorgame Endralum', reimagined for Mylapore, as the crowd joined in singing along.
"Our Tiruvalluvar was a Mylapore boy," said Subasri, as the crowd chuckled and giggled with a sense of pride. With each trivia about Mylapore, the crowd seemed to be walking through the memories of their Mylapore.
While to some it was a trip down memory lane, to others it was also an experience to learn about their neighbourhood. "I recently moved here from Adyar, and I am mesmerised. I am just sitting at the edge in awe," said one of the residents who watched the performance from the first row.