Karnataka - Hassan   

Rudrapattana gets its due

HASSAN: A Rs. 1-crore-building dedicated to music has been constructed on the banks of the Cauvery at Rudrapattana, also known as Sangeetha Grama, in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district. It will be inaugurated on Sunday.

The structure is built like a bruhat tambura (a musical instrument).

Rudrapattana has produced a many famous musicians such as Veene Ranga Sastri, Veene Subbanna, R.K. Venkatarama Sastri, R.R. Keshavamurthy, R.K. Padmanabha, R.K. Srikantan and the R.K. brothers.

There are several lanes in the village that are named after them. Mr. Padmanabha is president of the Rudrapattana Sangeethotsava Samithi Trust, which has all musicians from the village as members. They all assemble here every year to celebrate the Sangeethotsava, this year being the seventh.

In May 2007, the then Public Works and Energy Minister H.D. Revanna laid the foundation stone of the building, also called the Saptaswara Devatha Mandira. A sum of Rs. 50 lakh was given for its construction and the rest was collected through contributions from music lovers.

The building is dedicated to goddess Saraswati, who represents music and learning. Mr. Padmanabha told presspersons here on Thursday that a lawn would be created around the mandira and seven varieties of plants and musical fountains would be on display.

There is also a Dhyana Mandira, a Chitra Chavadi and a separate hall for students to learn music.

The trust plans to construct houses for all its members in the village. Mr. Padmanabha said they planned to build a Vidya Mandira on the same premises, for which Rs. 50 lakh is required.

The music festival will be held from May 18 to May 24, he added.

As part of the festival, several performances will be staged in the building. Ganapathi Sachhidananda Swamiji of the Datta Peetha, Mysore, will inaugurate the event. K. Jairaj, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, and the former MLA A.T. Ramaswamy will be the chief guests.

On Sunday night, Master Hirannaiah Mithra Mandali will stage the play Nadubeedi Narayana.

Each day of the festival will be dedicated to various composers: Sripadaraja (May 19), Kanakadasa (20th); Vadiraja Teertharu (21st); Purandaradasa (22nd) and Vijaya Dasa (23rd). There will be a “Samvaada” on Carnatic music on May 24.

A car festival will also be held on the last day of the festival, which will also feature a Ganabhisekha to the Saptaswara deities.

Musicians from all over Karnataka and other States will perform on the occasion, he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Rudrapattana gets its due

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu