Street shopping, silambam and Bharatanatyam, and a long night

Tuesday evening signaled that summer and stickiness was with us in Chennai - the gentle breeze made it good for hawking and window shopping in the mada streets. The stuff on sale may be utility - from water pumps and mosquito-swatters - to narikurava-made chains and wrist bands. But they found their buyers.

At about 7.30 p.m. two young drummers got into the act on Sannidhi Street, and as they belted out the trummm-trummmm-trum, young men got into the act of silambam and fire drills and soon gathered a small crowd to watch the sidelight.

Metres away, young dancer R Rukmani, a sishya of Himaja Ramsharan glided on the floor of the 16-pillared mantap to perform. A first in a three recital series of dances at penguin fest time ( the other two will be held here on April 1 and April 4, the former at about 5 pm and the latter at 6.30pm ).

The music clashed but each found its rhythm.

Inside the temple, volunteers, the big-made men in blue Tees took position near the vahanam and priests set in motion the rituals in the yagam hall on the north eastern side for the rishaba vahanam procession.