"Although Margazhi is celebrated as the month of bhakti and music all over Tamil Nadu, a festival of this magnitude can be seen only in Chennai. This is true for as far back as I can remember.

"The one thing that has not changed in the last 30 years is that you hear only music everywhere in December. Come Margazhi, the people of Chennai think only music. When I say people of Chennai, I mean those who reside here and all those who come here, even from abroad, to only listen to Carnatic music and be a part of the Margazhi festival. That is the beauty of the festival."

He admitted that he enjoyed playing during the Margazhi festival as much as he enjoyed performing all across the world.

One of the most talked about events by Kunnakudi is the maestro playing the Amrutavarshini raga to invoke the rain god. And it did rain after he played the raga! From then on, he has been described as the violinist who made it rain with his music.

When I asked him if it had really rained, he said, "Do you doubt it? Even I was not sure whether such a miracle would happen. But I played with bhakti and God in my mind. After I finished, it started raining. Nobody knows the real power of bhakti and music." he said, flashing that famous smile of his.

One miracle which he can never forget is the way his father, who was unconscious for almost a month, responded when he played raga Bhairavi. "I can only call it another miracle. I understood then that ragas have unusual healing powers." And that belief led him to start the Raga Research Centre in Chennai.

Though this great musician has won several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri, the Sangeet Natak Academy award, the Sangeet Mamani and the Carnataka Isaignani award, he will always be remembered as the musician who made it rain by playing Amruthavarshini raga on his violin.

Also read: 'Sangeetham has crossed the oceans'

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