The December 2003 Music Festival has begun. Temperature in Chennai has dropped favourably and the full hall at Chettinad Vidyashram at my concert was as if it ushered me into the December Festival.

One question that someone had in the audience was " what is the purpose of music? "

I found this to be a very intriguing question. From being of entertainment value Music, our Carnatic Music takes us close to the Divine. Whether we call it Spiritualism or Religion or Bhakthi or Sadhana, it all merges into one form in our music, which in itself is a religion.

The compositions in our Music echoes the Ramayana, the Mahabharatha, the Devi Mahatviyam, the Narayaneeyam, the Shivapuranam, and so on.

Our Music is like YOGA. So consummate is our music that one wonders when posed with a question like this, that it becomes so unexplainable or undefinable. All I can say is that I am blessed to be in it.