CHENNAI: The 6th edition of 'Margazhiyil Makkalisai', a three-day music festival organised by Neelam Cultural Centre, is "not a normal gathering, but a political statement", filmmaker Pa Ranjith has said.

He is the one who conceptualised the festival in 2020, pitching people’s music as an alternative to classical music that dominates during the city's famous 'Margazhi season'.

“This is a grand dream to declare that Tamil tradition belongs to the people – not gatekeepers. Margazhiyil Makkalisai gives independent artists a voice,” the director said during the inauguration on December 26 evening.

The festival, he said, elevates people's music -- including parai drum performances, folk songs, and Dalit liberation music -- as tools for social justice and political awakening.

This year, 500-plus artists are scheduled to perform till December 28.

Speaking at the inaugural event, chief guest and DMK MP Kanimozhi said the festival reclaims cultural elements historically stolen from Dalit communities.

"Art must shape society, not merely reflect it," added Kanimozhi.

Director Vetrimaaran, who was also present for the inaugural event, praised the event as an alternative cultural platform where "song becomes a weapon for social reform”.

He added that Ranjith converted "thought into action”, creating space for discussing cinema alongside Ambedkar's legacy and caste oppression.

Director Lokesh Kanagaraj highlighted the festival's growth as symbolic of liberation, noting how it has become "a crucial hub for marginal artists dreaming of cinema or social change”.

National award-winning music director G V Prakash said it was his third consecutive year at 'Margazhiyil Makkalisai'.

"This platform gives marginal artists a voice without money barriers," he said and pledged support for "Casteless Collective”, a 19-member anti-caste music band formed by Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre in 2019, which blends ‘gaana’, rap, hip-hop and rock to address caste oppression.

At the inaugural event, Puducherry-based 'Vidhuthalai Kural Kalai Kuzhu,' a Dalit liberation music troupe, paid tribute to Dalit Subbiah by playing his songs.

Incidentally, the documentary "The Voice of the Rebels”, on Dalit Subbiah's life and liberation music career, which has been nominated to represent India at the Oscars this year, is one of a 10-part series honouring 'Margazhiyil Makkalisai' 2021 artists.