Genesis & JourneY

Krishna Gana Sabha found its genesis in 1953 under the stewardship of Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam and his illustrious father, Sri Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer, who was its Founder-President

Originally housed in an open-air theatre at the Hindi Prachar Sabha, T Nagar, Chennai, it moved its premises – for a short while – to Thakkar Baba Vidyalaya

The Sabha came to be housed in a vacant plot of land, adjacent to the famed Nalli Chinnasamy Chetti store on Nageswara Rao Road, T Nagar. Between 1956-57, Sri R Yagnaraman, who was associated with the Sabha since its inception as a Committee Member and Joint Secretary, took over as General Secretary

It was during Sri Yagnaraman’s tenure as Secretary in 1961, that the three-year-old thatched roof arrangement adjacent to the Nalli store grew to a semi-permanent structure, at Griffith Road (now known as Maharajapuram Santhanam Salai). It was spread across a ten-ground plot with an auditorium that housed 900 chairs

After renovation, the auditorium was re-named Dr Nalli Gana Vihar, to mark Dr Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti’s contribution towards the Sabha. Today, Krishna Gana Sabha, based in Chennai, with a reputation across the world, is a premiere arts institution that is known for its charming, old-world architecture

Today, Krishna Gana Sabha is a premier Chennai institution renowned for its space and support of young talent in music, dance, and drama, receiving the 'Best Cultural Institution Award 2018’ from the Govt. of Tamil Nadu. The Sabha now 65 years strong, continues to be in service of cultural expression