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Abba! What a habba
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It turns out that the Pub City actually knows its ragas, mudras, and kunitas, and there's something for everyone. JYOTHI RAGHURAM checked out the scene
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Folk artistes regaling the public at Cubbon Park.
MENTION CULTURAL programmes and you get visions of classical music, dance, and theatre performances, and a whole lot of noses up in the air. There are several organisations devoted to the promotion of these arts, but their area of operation has largely been confined to annual programmes to promote these arts. Rarely do other forms of performing arts get within a nodding distance of these dos. And this is where the ongoing Bangalore Habba, organised in style by the Artistes' Foundation for the Arts (AFFA), could make a difference to the eager beavers of the city — offering them a glimpse of an array of performing arts from the classical to the folk, from the visual arts to street acrobatics.
A round of the city since the festival began on Sunday reveals that the response has been slow but sure. The air is one of celebration, and the city wears a festive look, especially in the nippy evenings, when many performances, ranging from theatre to classical dance to pop music to "Bollywood nights", are held in venues spread all over. Major parks and thoroughfares even in far-flung areas have been tastefully lit, lending a fairyland quality to the city. Indeed it's great to drive through at night, the crazy traffic notwithstanding. That shops are open till 10 p.m. as part of the Habba has added its own appeal to the celebrations.
The inaugural function at the Central College was, in a way, a dismal affair, as it was poorly attended. This in spite of the well-publicised performance of violinist L. Subramaniam, whose concerts draw packed houses. Expectedly, Dr. Subramaniam's recital was an elevating experience, where his brilliant music, with its orchestral undertones, was as much of essence as the soothing notes of his violin.
Sridhar and anuradha in a dramatic movement from their Bharatanatya performance
By Sunday evening, the Habba fever seemed to have caught on, with the Ravindra Kalakshetra and the Convocation Centre at Central College boasting near-full houses. Even the Town Hall, which, despite its renovation and enhanced acoustics hardly attracts the best of events, attracted a sizeable audience. It had as much to do with the artiste of the evening — Lakshmi Chandrashekar, who presented her popular solo theatre presentation, Singaravva Mattu Aramane.
One of the major attractions of Bangalore Habba has been its all-day programmes around the city. M.G. Road and Cubbon Park have been the hub of interesting and colourful activity. One glimpsed celebrity artists such as S.G. Vasudev and Gurudas Shenoy, Deepali Pal, Director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Mahendar Jain, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, on the "Artists' Walkway" Sunday evening, their brush strokes on the canvas symbolic of the creativity and unity that the Habba hopes to project.
Right now, a group of artists are working on an installation of terracotta and wood on the walkway, buttressing the artistic presence during the Habba.
Kadri Gopalnath's saxophone had Bangaloreans nodding their heads in approval at Ambedkar Bhavan on Monday. — Photos: K. Bhagya Prakash
The liveliest venue of the event has, naturally, been Cubbon Park, where a folk carnival is on. What immediately attract one's attention are the huge cut-outs of flowers, their multi-hued petals beckoning both the children and adults alike to savour more. Festooned with twinkling lights, this part of the event is indeed a treat for the children as well as for adults who haven't forgotten their childhood. For, there are street acrobatics and folk arts such as Kolaata, Pata Kunita, Veeragaase, and Haalakki Kunita on show here.
But the children's film festival, with its inconvenient show timings even as schools are yet to close for Christmas holdiays, does not seem to have served the purpose. There is also confusion among the public about the details of the shows, thus disappointing many.
The lit-up public utility building
What is heartening about the Bangalore Habba is that it has been planned to offer something to every section of the public. It is gratifying that the response has been warm — the auditoriums are drawing crowds, while the walkway has attracted the cognoscenti as much as it has the casual onlooker as well as the foreign tourist.
There is much to choose from, and if one does not find oneself in the thick of this fiesta, one is missing out on a slice of an exciting and vibrant cultural experience.
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