Articles by Monali Bala

Monali Bala is a multi genre musician based in Besant Nagar, Chennai. She can be reached at monali.rbala@gmail.com

That it is the most happening arts festival in the city of Chennai is like stating the obvious. Even the name is different -- it doesn't have 'sabha' as the suffix or 'Sri' as the prefix, not to mention the very ordinary multitude of volunteers who have come together for this extraordinary performing arts festival. With myriad art forms, performed in many open and public spaces, the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha has come of age. This year, not only is the Vizha happening in the Urur Olcott Kuppam Beach, it has also travelled to other locations. The open spaces of Thiruvalluvar Nagar…

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How Chennai’s famous Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha Took Roots When a few disturbed individuals met around a couple of years back, it started a chain of events that seemed like Lego blocks falling in place. When I use the word 'disturbed', I mean disturbed by many happenings around us. All of us just could not fathom how some people could be termed superior or inferior to others. And just as much, how certain arts could be termed superior or inferior to others. We decided to do something about it. And that was the birth of the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha.…

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