The Vani Vadhya Kala Nipuna and Vani Laya Kala Nipuna titles were awarded to senior musicians at the inaugural event of the Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha Nadaswaram Festival 2026 on Thursday (June 18, 2026).

The Vani Vadhya Kala Nipuna was presented to senior nadaswaram vidwans ‘Chinnamanur’ A. Vijay Karthikeyan and ‘Idumbavanam’ V. Prakash Ilaiyaraja, while the Vani Laya Kala Nipuna was awarded to thavil vidwan ‘Bengaluru’ P.M. Ranjith Vinayak. The festival, organised at Sri P. Obul Reddy Hall at Vani Mahal in T. Nagar, in collaboration with Bhaggyam Constructions, will go on until June 20.

The awards and cash rewards were instituted by V. Ramaswamy, managing director of Bhaggyam Constructions, in memory of his mother V. Janaki. The principal of the Tamil Nadu Government Music College Thoppur B. Sairam, inaugurated the event and delivered the presidential address.

A felicitation address was delivered by noted Tamil literary scholar S. Raghuraman during the opening event, which was followed by an acceptance speech by the awardees. The opening day featured a recital by awardees Mr. Vijay Karthikeyan and Mr. Prakash Ilaiyaraja.

The festival will showcase performances by artistes such as Nagaswara Kalanidhi ‘Thirumeignanam’ T.P.N. Ramanathan and Kalaimamani ‘Semponnarkoil’ S.R.G.S. Mohandas over the weekend. A Tamil Isai Concert series will be held from June 21 to June 23.

This concluding segment will showcase vocal performances by esteemed musicians including ‘Vani Kala Nipuna’ R. Ganesh, Mahanyasree, and R. Kashyap Mahesh, accompanied by seasoned instrumentalists.