Till January 20: Dialogues & Debates – Architecture. Eminent French and Indian architects and city planners will discuss issues of sustainable architectural practices concerning both countries (at The Raintree Hotel and Anna University. By invitation).

Till January 20: A French Festival of Letters featuring readings and interactions with eminent French language authors and their Indian counterparts (at Courtyard by Marriott, Tulika Publishers, Alliance Francaise, Full Circle Bookstores and Madras University. By invitation.)

January 18: Western Classical Opera featuring Marion Baglan, accompanied by Francois Juskowiak.

Marion Baglan is a soprano who turned to a solo career after her debut in 1998 (at Music Academy, 7.15 p.m. By invitation only).

Till January 18: True Fiction, a photography exhibition by Bernard Faucon. This is an eclectic journey through the first five series of Faucon’s works: Summer holidays, The probable evolution of Time, The chambers of love, The golden chambers, and Idols and sacrifices. This is one of the first exhibitions where Faucon, who has from the beginning remained loyal to an old photographic process named Fresson printing, now exhibits his images in the form of large format digital prints (at Apparao Galleries).

January 20-February 4: Terre Offshore – Reunion Islands, a contemporary art exhibition featuring the initiatives of 10 artists from Reunion.

An artist from Reunion comes with a blend of cross cultures, a unification of elements stemming from African, Indian, Chinese and French influences (at Apparao Galleries, Taj Coromandel, Taj Connemara and Taj Mount Road).

January 21-24: Mylapore Festival.

– A 100-minute dance drama presented by 50 young dancers.

– Two nights of therukoothu by one of the best koothu troupes from the Cheyyar area.

– A dance dramatisation which retells the stories of a couple who walked from George Town to Mylapore for the Panguni fest and recorded all that they saw and heard.

– A special audio-video presentation on M.K. Thayagaraja Bhagavathar on the occasion of his centenary.

– Two street theatre plays presented by university students.

– A grand concert of vintage Tamil film music.

At least 30 fringe events will also take place (at Sannidhi Square, Mylapore).

January 21-25: Active Surfaces: Street Art by Antonio Gallego, Jose Maria Gonzalez (at Apparao Galleries).

January 22-24: Sakshi Gallery revisits its ‘roots’ in Chennai. As Sakshi Gallery strides into its 25th year in 2010, it will be a year marked with celebrations, kick started by Roots, an exhibition of select works of modern and contemporary Indian art held in Chennai. Roots will feature some of the best works from the Gallery’s collection and special loans. Numerous artists who have participated in Sakshi’s programmes over the years will be featured in the exhibition. Sakshi Gallery will also present select works by acclaimed international artists such as El Anatsui, Gregory Crewdson and Julian Opie.

This exhibition is a precursor to Sakshi’s 25th anniversary Celebration of Creativity wherein a special series of programmes will be held through the year (at The Park).

Till January 23: Lining the wall, paintings featuring a cross-over of graffiti and computer generated art by Harsha Biswajit, K. Vinay Kumar and S. Kalaiselvan (at Forum Art Gallery).

January 23: Ziskakan, a Maloya Music Concert from Reunion. The group was founded by Gilbert Pounia in 1979. Playing maloya music at kabary (meaning “assembly”), they developed a contemporary type of maloya infused with genuine Reunion Creole culture, mirroring the mix of its multi-cultural inhabitants (at Forum Art Gallery).

January 28: Gypsy Jazz Concert featuring Titi Robin, Francis Varis, Ze Luis Nascimento, and Maria Robin (vocal and dance).

Titi Robin built his personal musical universe by borrowing instinctively from various sources, including India and North Africa (at Kalakshetra Foundation, 7.30 p.m.).