Chennai, March 2024: DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum presents ‘Utsavam’ on Sunday, 10th February, 2024 from 11 am onwards. This is the 9th edition of the annual festival ‘Utsavam’, Shreya Nagarajan Singh (SNS) Arts Development Consultancy has curated and produced this festival for the seventh consecutive year for DakshinaChitra. The theme for this year’s festival is “Artistic Allies – A Festival of Creative Partnerships’. The festival embodies through various genres from dance, theatre, storytelling, visual art, creative writing – the immense community that supports and appreciates collaboration and allyship. The festival comes free with the entrance ticket at Dakshinachitra.
“This year we’re bringing in an exciting program with a top Yakshagana artist and musicians paired with a top Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic musicians called Manoranga. Utsavam is a festival that’s all about moving forward, to explore new concepts and questions, both in arts and in women’s leadership.” – Dr. Deborah Thiagarajan, Founder & President, DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum.
“Utsavam is an important intervention in the area of arts and culture due to its deep-focus approach. We present an art form in depth with lec-dems, interactions and performances. It’s also interdisciplinary. Visitors are introduced to a range of creative voices at Utsavam.” Ms. Anitha Pottamkulam, Director – Culture, DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum.
This year’s Utsavam has a wide range of performances & acts in different houses at DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum which will showcase the significance of collaboration. These different spaces within DakshinaChitra, whose traditional South Indian architectural aesthetics will enhance the Utsavam experience.
The headliner of Utsavam is a unique collaborative performance between the popular Bharatanatyam dancer Parshwanath Upadhye and Yakshagana artist Keremane Shridhara Hegde.
The festival will also have a woman centric market place in DakshinaChitra which will host local businesses run/owned by women and women identifying entrepreneurs. The festival also includes an important panel discussion about how Female Leaders in key Institutions such as the British Council, Alliance Française of Madras, Goethe – Institut and Inko Center, are leaving a strong impact when it comes to arts and culture in Chennai.
Festival Details – Utsavam 2024:
Date: Sunday, 10th March 2024
Venue: DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum, Muthukadu, Chennai: 603112
Time: 11 am Onwards
Entry: The festival comes free with the entrance ticket at Dakshinachitra
