Witness the magic of Carnatic music unfold at this venue in Bandra

As the weather cools down the streets of Chennai come alive There is a buzz among Carnatic music aficionados Debates on kutcheris Tamil for concert and raga control rage over cups of flowing filter kaapi This is officially the Margazhi the Tamil month from December 17 onwards season While Mumbai has its own clusters of South Indian culture it might lack the same buzz or appetite for Carnatic musicThat undergoes a passing change this weekend with the fifth edition of the Mumbai Margazhi Mahotsavam organised by Banyan Tree The events will feature reputed names such as Malladi brothers Jayanthi Kumaresh Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi as well as the duo of RanjaniGayatri among others to go with lecture demonstrations by author V Sriram and Dr Chithra MadhavanA Kanyakumari at an earlier concertFor vocalists Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian of the Raga duo the season encapsulates devotion and art ldquoI remember growing up in Matunga our grandmother would wake us up at 430 am in the morning There would be processions of chanting that would pass down the street and we would go to the temple to have hot pongal as prasadrdquo she shares Gayatri adds ldquoIt is a month of devotion and has a beautiful connection that emerges in the form of musical expressionrdquoFor veteran violinist A Kanyakumari mdash a regular at the Chennai season for the last 55 years mdash the kutcheris are part of a comprehensive tradition in Carnatic music ldquoThe season began as a short event in the early 19th century Over time the number of sabhas has significantly grown to provide platforms for both emerging talents and seasoned veteransrdquo she saysVikku Vinayakram left and V Selvaganesh at a previous edition of the festivalAs special as it is performing in this month can be challenging Gayatri tells us ldquoThere is something different about the pressure an artiste feels during this month You do not worry about whether people would be in sync with the music The audience at these concerts have a very keen and profound understanding of music So the artistes push themselves to give their best from their years of experience and explorations to discover what is the best in themselvesrdquoTo this end the duo has been preparing a new repertoire ldquoEvery piece we have performed this season has been fresh to us We have worked on compositions that we have not tried before It has been a lot of breaking new ground for us as artistesrdquo she reveals This includes a new ragamtanampallavi set to murchanas raga rotations that they performed recentlyKanyakumari adds ldquoCertain musicians prefer meticulous preparation before their concerts ensuring every detail is carefully planned On the other hand some musicians embrace spontaneity experimenting with various elements directly on stagerdquoMahesh Babu managing director of Banyan Tree points out that the season is more than just music ldquoThe queues outside the lecture halls and even food canteens can be quite long in Chennai during the season And they are debated about just as much as the musicrdquo he jokingly says It is this holistic experience that the Mumbai edition hopes to recreate in Bandra this weekend Babu addsMahesh BabuThe lineup promises a congregation of talents from the instrumental and vocal genres young newcomers and reputed headliners as well ldquoThis is a time for the music community as wellrdquo Ranjani notes ldquoYou will find many musicians catching up on concerts supporting each other even attending morning academic sessions discussing and engaging in question and answer sessions All this is part of the Margazhi experiencerdquo It is time for Mumbai to sip on its filter kaapi and sit back to enjoy the sameOn January 6 and 7 10 am to 1 pm 3 pm to 9 pmAt St Andrewrsquos Auditorium St Dominic Road Bandra WestLog on to inbookmyshowcomCall 9223231359 for detailsCost Rs 500 onwards