Uninterrupted flow of music for 111 days; Thureeyam music festival makes Payyanur proud 

But things have changed since a man clad in saffron entered the town with the noble mission of spreading the message of love through music. He was not alone. The man was accompanied by great musicians of the generation. Now, after 20 years, Swami Krishnananda Bharati of Ananda Bhavanam, Pothamkantam, smiles contentedly as he looks back. “It was not easy. Still, the journey has been beautiful. Great performances by master musicians have turned this place into a haven for musical gatherings,” he said.

Now, for many people outside Kerala, Payyanur is synonymous with music, as it is known as the center of the biggest music festival in South India. Swami Krishnananda Bharati would correct you with a smile, ‘perhaps even in India’.

The ‘Thureeyam Music Festival’, which started way back in 2005, is celebrating its 20th edition this year as the festival begins on March 25. This year, the festival will be celebrated over 111 days, featuring the biggest names in Indian music, including legendary Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, violin maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam, top-ranking musicians TV Gopalakrishnan, Sanjay Subramaniam, TM Krishna, Sudha Raghunathan, and many others.

This year’s festival begins with the concert of renowned Carnatic musician TV Gopalakrishnan. The concerts will be held every evening at SreePrabha Auditorium, Payyanur, at 6 PM. On the 50th day Dr L Subramaniam will perform a violin concert and on the 100th day, Pandit Hariparasad Chaurasia will weave a magical web with his flute concert.

A glance through the festival brochure would leave an ordinary organiser unconscious, as it is a veritable who’s who of Indian music. But, being a sanyasi, Krishnananda Bharati has his own ways and means to make it happen hassle-free. “I have a simple way of dealing with this. You shouldn’t treat it as a hundred-day festival. Take it day by day. Things will start falling into place,” he says.

Elsewhere, organisers find it difficult to conduct even a three-day festival due to multiple reasons, starting with a financial crunch. The concert fees for the artists, accommodation and conveyance—everything—would be tough for most organisers, as there is not enough backing for traditional art forms.

Apart from the difficulties involved in bringing such a great constellation of artists to the festival, Swami also has a tough task at hand to bring a decent number of people to watch the entire music festival consistently. “No, I don’t think about the audience. My mission is to present a good concert for them. The artists are here to give their best. Those who love music will definitely be there. That’s my belief, and it has worked well so far,” he said.

Those who come to the Thureeyam festival also have to be vigilant regarding the watchful eyes of Swami and his noble gang of volunteers. “We don’t allow people to attend phone calls or take video recordings during the concerts. Those who want to enter the concert hall should switch off their mobile phones and listen to the concert. Only those who are willing to follow the rules of the Thureeyam Music Festival should come here,” Swami doesn’t mince his words.

“This festival has turned into a prestigious event, and many musicians want to participate by changing their schedules accordingly. This year, we have also missed some big names due to the overseas commitments of the artists. Many artists cooperate with us to make this festival a huge success,” he said.

Ever since the beginning of the festival, Ananda Bhavanam has been able to organise it every year without fail. “We failed to conduct the festival only in 2020, due to the Covid pandemic,” Swami said. As Covid had left a deep impact on the cultural sphere, organisers across the state had started reducing the number of concerts, citing financial crunch and loss of interest among the people. Refusing to go by the trend, Swami Krishnananda Bharati decided to organise a 101-day-long Thureeyam Festival in 2023, much to the awe and surprise of the people around him.

“You just have to take the initiative and things will start happening,” he said. Drawing inspiration and energy from the success of that festival, he has decided to organise an even bigger festival this time. “The festival is of no importance. What is important is the music being heard at the festival. There are great artists, great performers. Listening to music will make a person spiritually enlightened. Spiritual enlightenment is the answer to the chaos prevalent in our society,” he said.

The festival will conclude on July 13 with a Hindustani concert by Pandit Raghunandan Panishkar.