A s Chennai prepares to immerse itself in yet another music season, the decision of the Music Academy — one of the city’s premier institutions — to invite music director A.R. Rahman to inaugurate its 99th annual music conference and concerts reflects a significant shift from its prior view on music. ‘Isaignani’ Ilaiyaraaja, who blends Carnatic ragas with folk and western classical music, inaugurated the music festival of the Academy in 2017.

Changes have caught up with the sabhas in many ways. Even the language of performance is no longer an issue. Singers who once chose Telugu or Sanskrit compositions of the Carnatic Trinity and keerthanas in other languages to showcase their vidwat at the Music Academy now frequently opt for Tamil songs as the main item, or even for the ragam-tana

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