Date:29/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/29/stories/2006122915890200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival from January 4

Staff Reporter

``The idea is to showcase the flavours of Madras to the visitors''

CHENNAI : The annual Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival will be held from January 4 to 7. Over 300 artists are expected to participate.

The traditional `kolam' contest will be held over the weekend, with 225 women participants and 40 children. Other attractions are a section devoted to traditional games, walks through Mylapore, a traditional food festival and a plenty of music from promising talent.

Vincent D'Souza, joint organiser of the festival, said the stress of the event is on using the neighbourhood resources. "We are using the open spaces in and around the temple and the six streets around the Kapaleeswarar temple," he said.

The Nageswara Rao Park will be used as a venue for concerts — solos in the morning and group events in the evening — during the festival.

Managing Director, Sundaram Finances, T. T. Srinivasaraghavan, said "The idea is to take the visitors back to those Thiruvizha days, to showcase to them the `Flavours of Madras' and give them the closest possible experience to revisit some of the art forms from the past."

Registrations for the kolam and cooking contests are closed. However, everything else is open to the public.

Call 98410 49155/ 98405 44629 for details or log on to mylaporefestival.com.