A violin melody in the backdrop, the incessant beating of a mridangam and the distinct sound of nadaswaram in the distance, as you take a walk down a lane that houses Chennai's quintessential sabhas.

The smell of ghee wafting through the air with a hint of piquant podi (gunpowder) only to be interrupted by the crackling sound of freshly molded vadas being dipped into piping hot oil. Margazhi, the annual December music and dance festival in the South Indian city is characterised by this and more.