Unique INITIATIVES

The double-mridangam as an accompaniment was first featured at the Krishna Gana Sabha and, needless to add, was a resounding success.

In 1958, mridangam maestro, Sri Palghat Mani Iyer and his son, Sri Palaghat Rajamani, provided the first double-mridangam accompaniment to the acclaimed Sri Alathoor Brothers with legendary artiste, Sri Lalgudi G Jayaraman who was on the violin.

That performance was the starting point of many such innovative concerts involving different mridangam artists of eminence.

Way back in 1955, Krishna Gana Sabha went on to become the first Sabha to think out-of-the-box and pioneer a festival in the months of August and September. The first Gokulashtami season was a week-long festival featuring a line-up of stars that included Smt MS Subbulakshamni, Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Sri Chiitti Babu, Sri Sheik Chinna Moulana Saheb, Sri Mali, and Sri K B Sundarambal with Sri MS Gopalakrishnan.

Over the years, the festival gained popularity and featured nearly 60 concerts, year on year. 

Krishna Gana Sabha's Nadaswara Isai Vizha, coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal, in Tamilnadu, began as an annual week-long exclusive Nadaswaram festival in 1987. In its premise and intent, the festival offered pride of place to the traditional and auspicious instrument of South India - Nadaswaram, becoming the first and only institution in the country to create and nurture a festival exclusively for Nadaswaram and Thavil artists to share their art. The festival enabled the popularisation of these instruments, allowing them to step out of the precincts of the temples and marriage halls, where they are normally heard.

The Violin -Venu -Veena trio - Sri Lalgudi G Jayaraman, Sri N Ramani, and Sri Venkataraman - performed a concert together at the Krishna Gana Sabha in 1960. This trio went on to gain popularity and performed numerous such collaborative concerts across the world. 

Over the years, a whole host of artistes have performed this trip concert.

Krishna Gana Sabha has played a decisive role in nurturing the haloed Hari Nama Sankeerthanam tradition for decades now. In 1986, the Sabha featured HH Swami Haridoss Giri, for the first time, offering them a stage to share their knowledge as part of the annual music and dance festival in the month of Margazhi.

This series provided the impetus in reviving interest among rasikas and bhaktas of spirituality and heled re -establish gradually, the declining Bhajana Sampradhayam amongst the public. The Sabha also went on to establish a school that conducted by Sri Udayalur Kalyanaram Bhagavathar and helped interested participants to learn the Hari Nama Sankeerthanams. 

An exclusive annual festival endeavouring to showcase young and upcoming talent from all forms of classical dance - Barathanatyam, Mohiniattam, Kathakali, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak, Kuchipudi & Sattriya. Krishna Gana Sabha has been a pioneer in bringing together varied dance forms under a single roof.

In 2008, in loving memory of Sri R Yagnaraman, who dedicated his entire life for the propagation of classical fine arts, his son, Sri Y Prabhu, curated a festival called Yagnaraman July Fest (YJF, for short). A platform to showcase artistes from a slew of genre, from across the globe, this festival of fusion - both music and dance - has played host to a range of artistes who have reminded artistes and audiences alike that art knows no boundaries. 

In an attempt to keep the magic of theatre alive, Krishna Gana Sabha pioneered the Drama Festival in the month of April. Over ten days, interesting and out-of-the-box theatre productions from across languages like English, Tamil and Sanskrti, are provided a platform to showcase their acts.