From Justin Bieber to Ed Sheeran, some of the world’s celebrated names in contemporary music began their careers as street performers. None of the singers who are part of On The Streets of Chennai (OTS) have made it to the top musical charts anywhere yet but that hasn’t stopped them from growing as a community working towards making Chennai the street music capital of India. They even have their own music label on the cards.
On March 20, the International day of Happiness, Chennai's streets and parks saw music lovers vibe to their favorite numbers from Ilayaraaja to AR Rahman in a gig marathon all sung and mastered by buskers of the OTS, which promotes street music culture and happiness.
OTS founder Senthil Raj T said the response to the 10-hour gig held at Pondy Bazaar was so overwhelming. “We ended up singing eleven hours straight and the people were so high-on energy,” said Raj, who began his career performing with friends in coffee shops. “People would smile, dance and enjoy the space. If a closed space would bring so much joy, then we thought why not on streets and that’s how OTS came to life. The struggle was huge initially. We started off with very few musicians and it was a big deal to earn the government's trust. Today we are in a much better place and have permission to perform in almost all places,” he said. From a five member team, the OTS community has now 815 members.
Though they are offered financial contributions at the end of performance, a beaming face is the biggest compliment, said Raj. “People shower us with so much love, we get water bottles, sweets and flowers. Just seeing a grandma dance to our beats would make our day,” he said.
The amount of love and affection the community receives on the streets of Chennai is seen to be believed. Pooja B, a student of Anna University, said It feels so refreshing to watch them perform. “I saw OTS performing on my way back home last week at the Airport metro station. I love everything about the community and I came all the way to Pondy Bazaar with my friends just to listen to some great music,” she said.
For some others working from home these shows on street corners have helped make weekends bearable. “I work from home all week and weekends aren't the same after the pandemic. I follow their social handle and keep a track of places where they are performing. Listening to them has become my new weekend hobby," said Siva, an IT employee.