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Sing it, sign it<\/span>As part of Margazhi Matram, an inclusive sign language choir led by hearing impaired students of the Clarke School for the deaf, alongside those with other disabilities, perform through sign language. For a change, the audience will also participate. The event will be held on Dec 7. \u201cThey will perform three songs, Tamil Taiwazhta and the national anthem. The lyrics of each will be flashed on screen, and every body will just do the signing with no sound, so they can understand what life means to a deaf person and what music means to them in their silent world,\u201d says Ranjini Kaushik, founder.Raga shots<\/span>Concerts in intimate spaces have been gaining popularity in recent years and more cafes are opening up their spaces to this trend this year, including Vinyl and Brew, Alwarpet, which is holding a \u2018Kaapi Ragam series\u2019. A series of seven concerts \u2013 A Carnatic Shot \u2013 will also be held at Beachville Coffee Roasters curated by Aalaap, among which is one which gives a glimpse of a music classroom, by Carnatic musician Rithvik Raja and his students. \u201cPaattu class invites the audience to sit in, listen, question and witness the unfiltered process behind learning and making music,\u201d says curator Akhila Krishnamurthy.14-year dance drama<\/span>Kalakshetra\u2019s famed dance dramas return this season with a presentation of all six parts of the Ramayana between Dec 19 and Dec 28 at the Bharata Kalakshetra auditorium. But what makes this edition special is that the choreography itself unfolded over 14 years, mirroring the epic\u2019s 14-year arc. Mysore Vasudevacharya created the first three parts \u2014 Sita Swayamvaram, Ramavanagamanam and Paduka Pattabhishekam \u2014 but passed away before he could complete the rest. S Rajaram completed the remaining segments, Sabari Moksham, Choodamani Pradhanam and Maha Pattabhishekam.Remembering a legend<\/span>2025 marks the 250th birth anniversary of Muthuswami Dikshitar. \u201cA special year for us,\u201d says vocalist G Ravi Kiran, who has led the \u2018gurugruhamratha\u2019 movement for 16 years to spread awareness about the legendary composer. To mark the occasion, they\u2019re hosting a day-long celebration on Dec 14 at Ragasudha Hall, Mylapore, featuring only Dikshitar compositions. US-based veena exponent Nirmala Rajasekhar will be performing as well. \u201cDikshitar was a celebrated veena artist and his compositions sound amazing on the veena. The idea is to immerse themselves in his legacy the entire day.\u201dSpace for the young<\/span>At some sabhas, the young are taking centre stage this season. Ticketing platform MDnD is hosting a 15-25 age-only concert series at its intimate Mylapore hall. \u201cIt\u2019s a closed, chamber music kind of space,\u201d says co-founder Vijaya Kalyan. What began as a weeklong idea turned into a 16-day run from Dec 13 to Dec 28 after young musicians flooded them with requests. Performers will receive a small honorarium, and every concert will stream live on the MDnD website.Instruments, reimagined<\/span>People are now more open towards music involving unusual instruments, says Tharun Sekhar and Siva of the band Uru Panaar. The group is performing as part of \u2018Kutty Kutchery festival\u2019, on Dec 15. \u201cThe band is made up of various ancient instruments such as yazh, kudamuzha, thudumbu, urumi, udakkai, kuzhal, kombu and kokkarai,\u201d says Tharun. \u201cThe performance \u2018Thol\u2019 is based on the ancient Tholkappiyam.\u201d Since they had no references to how these instruments should be played, they recreated the songscape themselves, but in a contemporary manner, says Siva. Raga, Roots and Jazz-also part of \u2018A Carnatic Shot\u2019 on Dec 25 features a \u2018Navtar\u2019, a self-designed nine-string instrument designed by Vishnu Ramprasad, which bridges classical depth and modern texture, accompanied by Muthu Kumar on the Tabla.It was during his stint as a research scholar in New York in the early 2000s that musician Ganesh Kumar came across the news that killing of monitor lizards for their skin was banned. Ganesh set on a quest to find an alternative to the monitor lizard skin. In a few years, he succeeded in creating a synthetic version made of plastic and cloth, which were more popular in Europe and the US than in India, as they were more expensive than the original. \u201cMany drum companies in Europe manufacture the Kanjira now and it is played in many jazz, fusion and other music concerts,\u201d says Ganesh Kumar. \u201cI hope Carnatic musicians in the south switch to this cruelty-free kanjira eventually.\u201d<\/div>\n