In 1931, thanks to the Music Academy banning his seven-stringed violin, T. Chowdiah conducted a violin festival at the Gokhale Hall. In 1933, A.K. Ramachandra Iyer conducted a nagaswaram festival at his Midland Theatre on G.P. Road to highlight the lack of opportunities. In the 1930s, the Congress party conducted a music festival for a couple of years.
Published in The Hindu at this link – http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2712510.ece