One of the best live performances I’ve ever witnessed was by Carnatic singer Jeyashree Ramnath years ago, in a small kutcheri event in Bangalore. As a child, I was often dragged to classical music concerts by my parents — from early mornings spent driving to hear the violinist father–son duo L. Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam, to long evenings standing in line for tickets to watch Niladri Kumar on the sitar. I never fully grasped the greatness I was lucky enough to witness. Not until the day I heard Jeyashree Ramnath’s voice.

Many people, especially younger generations, dismiss classical music as boring or lacking any sense of “pep.” And I don’t blame them. For years, this world of music has been framed as something profound and otherworldly by its gatekeepers; the culture around it can feel elitist, casteist, and deeply inaccessible.

But there is something undeniably magical about watching artists take that stage with discipline, precision, and absolute faith — offering you, in that moment, a direct slice of divinity.

Which is why festivals like Chennai’s Kutty Kutchery Festival 2025 by Rasoham, are so important. A kutchery (also spelled kutcheri) is a traditional South Indian classical music concert, most commonly associated with Carnatic music. For its third edition from December 13-22 , the festival brings together classical, folk, and contemporary aspects of dance, music, and theatre, bridging the past and the present, making this side of music more accessible and for the people.

From a performance by legendary Kuchipudi dancer Vyjayanthi Kashi on the first day to a fusion act by the Indian classical fusion band Vipraharm — blending jazz and blues with Carnatic music — on the last, the festival has a stellar ten-day lineup curated for audiences of all kinds.Each day highlights a different genre of artistry — whether it’s a shadow puppet show or a performance by Uru Pannur, the troupe dedicated to reimagining and reviving South India’s ancient instruments. 

Held across multiple venues throughout Chennai, the festival moves through a city that has long been one of the most extraordinary breeding grounds for kutchery culture. Chennai isn’t just a backdrop for classical arts — it is the ecosystem that sustains them through the Marghazhi (the 9th month in the Tamil calendar, usually falling in December) season. The Kutty Kutchery Festival taps into this history while also nudging it gently forward, proving that the classical arts don’t have to be trapped in the past to remain timeless.

All events are free to attend, with mandatory registration available through this link. You can find out more about the events on Rasoham’s Instagram page here.

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