Bhavan Bengaluru, Karnataka News, December 2016

1. 1
Vol.17 No. 12 December - 2016
bhavanblrhns50@gmail.com
INFOSYSFOUNDATIONANUPUFESTIVAL
DEC 9, 10 & 11
Anupu, on the banks
oftheKrishnarivernear
Nagarjunasagar dam, is an
expansivearchaeologicalwonder
ofBuddhistlearningandculture
dating back to the 3rd
century.
It is not just a tourist
destination; itisahistoricwalk
into an ancient seat of Mahayana
BuddhisminSouthIndia,
itsmagnificentarchitecturea
reflectionofpastglorybrought
tolife.
Discoveredduringthe
constructionofthedam,theruins
oftheancientBuddhistcentre
TRIBUTE TO BUDDHIST HERITAGE

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wasunearthed,literallythrowing
upaplaceofmarvellous
architecturalinterest,complete
withaVihara(Buddhist
university),Haratitempleanda
largeamphitheatre.
Anupu, the place where
Acharya Nagarjuna preached
MahayanaBuddhism,was
painstakinglyreconstructedin
detailbytheArchaeological
Survey of India, the 80 hectares
ofthesitecomingaliveasa
historicalandculturalworld
monumentofBuddhism.
Theintricacyofthestructures
lieintheirdivisions,thestupas
havingcircularbrickwallswith
claddingoflimestoneslabs,
theSimhalaViharahousingtwo
halls,oneenclosinganimageof
the Buddha, and the monasteries
havinglimestonecolumnssetin
brick and stone walls.
Theamphitheatreenjoys
pride of place, its stepped
columnsopeninguptoacentral
playground.Justbeforethe
amphitheatreistheHaratitemple
sporting a statue of the mother
Goddess in a sitting posture.
The stark and arid landscape
ofAnupu,scatteredwithgreenery
Limestone - Ayakpata showing the transportaion of Siddhartha’s headgear (crown)
to heaven by the gods, accompanied by musicions.
MEGA
CULTURAL
FEST - 2016

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here and there, has its own unique
appeal.
TheAnupufestivalisa
celebrationofIndia’srich
Buddhistheritage,wherethe
ancientmonumentwillreverberate
withtraditionalperformingarts
events,seamlesslylinkingthe
gloriesofanancienttimetothe
culturallegaciesofalaterage,
whilenurturingandpreserving
the same for times to come.
Centredgeographically,
linguistically,andculturallyinthe
Andhraregion,thefestivalwill
naturallyfocusonfolkarts,
theatre, and classical dance and
musicdrawnfromthere,with
specialemphasisonfolkforms,
theircolour,vibrancy,andtheir
verysustenancefactoredin.
Symbolically,thefestival
willbeinauguratedbyBuddhist
monkswhowillpayfloral
tributes to the image of Buddha.
Themaidenperformance
will be the folk dances of
Andhra,representingthe
essence of Telugu art vis a vis
anindigenousculture,followed
byanadaswaramrecital,which
dates back to generations of
playersintheTeluguheartland.
Instrumentalmusic,
Kuchipudi,folkdances,
classicaldancefeaturesexclusive
toAndhra,anddevotionalmusic
embody the arts featured at the
festival,ahighlightofwhichisa
culturalprogrammebythe
employeesofInfosys.
Theirstageoutingwill
showcase music, dances,
andafashionshow,thespeciality
beingthatallofthemwillbe
inthetraditionalformat.

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Eventhefashionshowwill
featuretraditionalcostumes
drawnfromdifferentstatesof
India, where the essence of
Teluguwillblendintotherich
culturalmilieuofIndia.
Over 350 artistes will pay
obeisance to the Buddha through
the festival, tailored as a tribute to
India’sculturalmosaic,integralto
whichareage-oldmonuments.
Indianculture,asevidenced
inits scriptures,customs,
traditions and arts is not only the
soulofthisancientlandbutisits
hope and beacon light too, for
re-creatingabeautiful,peaceful
world.
To keep alive India’s
culturalheritageanddiversity,
InfosysFoundationhasbeen
supportingactivitiesconnected
to art, a recent effort being the
reconstructionofancient
monumentsandbringingthem
alivethroughtraditional
performingandvisualarts
festivals.
Thefirstsuchfestival
was held in March 2106,
atLakshmeshwarainGadag
District, when the restored
2,000-year-old expansive
templecomplexof Someshwara
reverberated with dance and
music,equallyofthefolk
variety,attractinganaudienceof
thousands,drawnfromadjoining
villages.
TheculturalmatrixofIndia
liesasmuchinitshistory,thehuge
monumentssprinkledalloverthe
countrybearingtestimonyto
ancientIndia’sscientific
architecturalintricaciesandits
richtraditionofpublicfestivities
and arts.
To help re-create this past
glory,InfosysFoundationplansto
wed Indian traditional arts and
historicalmonumentsbyholding
annualculturefestivalsat
archeologicallyrenovatedsites.
The core value the
Foundationwillestablishthrough
thesefestivals,wherethevenueis
central to the performances, is the
continuationofaculturallegacy.
Creatingpublicawarenessof
asliceofIndia’sancienthistory
andwooinglargeaudiences
throughpresentingmyriadarts
againstahistoricalbackdrop
will be of essence here.
ThemegaAnupuculture
festival,thesecondeventon
similarlines,isacelebrationofthe
culturaldiversityofIndiainthelap
ofhistory.
-JyothiRaghuram

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Group Dance
Dec 10 : The BVB-ICCR
Horizonseriespresents
Bharatanatya group dance by
Veena C. S. and troupe at the
Bhavan premises, at 6pm.
Adancercumacademicwith
severalinterestsinalliedfields
suchasstagelighting,Veenahasa
hostofnationalandinternational
performancesbehindher,with
thematicdanceproductionsand
her Kala Sampada School of
Bharatanatyaencompassingher
holistic approach to the art.
Yoga,Samskritam,
Carnatic vocal and dance
theoryarepartofthecurriculum
at Kala Sampada, which
institutionhasgroomeddancers
whohavedoneparticularly
wellindancecompetitions
andexaminationsbesides
beinggivingsolorecitals.
Women’s InstrumentalTrio
WATCHOUTFOR
DEC 10, 24, 29.
C.S. Veena
Dec 24 : They proudly call
themselves the Women’s Trio in
Carnatic Music,specialisingin
instrumentalmusicconcerts.
Shubha Santosh (veena), Prema
Vivek(violin)andVaniManjunath
(flute)havebeenperformingasa
team for two years now and are
gaining stage space as a three-
memberwomen’stroupe.
Currentlytrainingwith
Sri.H. S. Sudhindra, Shubha has
several performances and awards
to her credit, while Prema,
havinglearntfromSri.H.V.
KrishnamurthyandSmt.Neela
Ramgopal,ispresentlybeing
Shubha Santosh

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guidedbySmt.Kanyakumariof
Chennai.
Asoftwareengineerby
profession, Prema has pursued
herinterestinmusicparallelly,
havingmanyconcertstoher
credit.
Bharatanatya by NRI dancer
Dec 29 : The Pandanallur
MutthaiahPillaiEndowment
Programme will present a
BharatanatyarecitalbyNRI
dancerChinmayeeKamakotika
Venkatraman, a dancer with the
uniquedistinctionofhavingboth
her dance and music debut
performances the same day!
Chinmayee’soutings
includeclassicalsolorecitals,
group dances— many composed
by her, and bhangra, topped off
with Rangila, a dance feature
where she was both
choreographer and one among
the many dancers, and which
was for a philanthropic cause.
TherecitalisatKhinchaHall,
6 pm.
-JR
Chinmayee Kamakotika Venkatraman
Besidesroutine
performances,Vanihas
venturedintointerestingoutings.
Shehasdabbledinfusionmusic
with the troupe Kohum,
has composed music for plays
and for Doordarshan, and has
organizedclassicalorchestral
musicprogrammes.
Thetriowillperformat
IndiranagarSangeethSabha
undertheBVB-Infosys
FoundationOutreach
Programme, at 6 pm.
Vani Manjunath
Prema Vivek

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Virupaksha @
Hampi
Acrylic on canvas 3ft x 3ft
The painting pays
obeisance to the presiding
deity of Hampi, Lord
Virupaksha, accompanied
by the dhyana shloka,
“Aangikam
Bhuvanam...”, of the
Natya Shastra, in praise
of Nataraja, the Lord of
dance. The work was
commissioned for Hampi
Utsav, 2016, at Hampi.
Aliterallycolourful
outcome of Hampi Utsav 2016
was the painting of 40 canvases
withdifferentsubjects,ofwhich
BharatiyaVidyaBhavan’s
Bengaluru Kendra too boasted
of two well appreciated works.
It was an occasion for the
Kendra to feel proud of; its
Director, Sri. H. N. Suresh,
anaward-winningartist,wasone
among the 20 select artists picked
bytheDepartmentofCulture
andToursim,Governmentof
Karnataka, to participate in the
art camp at Hampi, as an adjunct
tothefestival.
STROKE OFCOLOURAT HAMPI
Hema Koota near the
Saraswathitemple,amidstthe
famedruinsofHampi,formed
theawe-inspiringbackdrop
for the three-day camp, the
un-prescribedthemeallowing
artiststodrawfromthehaunting
beautyofthesurroundings.
What got translated on to
the canvas of Sri. Suresh were
two nimble figures, Virupaksha
@ Hampi and Gandharva
@ Hampi. The paintings
encapsulatedthepresidingdeity
of theVijayanagara empire, as a
reality,andthecelestialbeings—
Gandharvas—aspersonifying

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Gandharva @
Hampi
acrylic on canvas
3ft x 3ft
The painting depicts
flying Gandharvas,
besides tracing
raga chakra –
the assignment of
definite times for
singing particular
ragas in a 24-hour time
cycle. Utsav, 2016,
at Hampi
thebeauty
of Hampi,
inspirationally,
and as a conception
ofbeauty.
Thefluidity
and exotic beauty
of the forms, both
intheVirupaksha
andGandharva
paintings,waswhat
set apart the art
works as classics.
- JR

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CUTURALOUTREACH PROGRAMME REPORTS :
BVB-INFOSYS FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES :
SEP, OCT, 2016.
Sixtysixculturalprogrammes
were held in which 661 artistes
performed to an audience of about
2000. The events included Gond
Ghusadi and Jada Koppu
Kolattam folk dances of
Telangana, a workshop on
Nirmalpaintingtraditionbythe
Hyderabad Kendra, Jagran
GondolandKalagiTurafolk
dance and music of Maharashtra
(Pune Kendra), and Lok Utsav
and Baul Mela (Kolkata).
The Jaipur Kendra organised
a folk dance recital cum workshop
at Bikaner where artistes got an
opportunitytolearnandperform
traditionalfolkdancesof
Rajasthan.
ANDRAP PRADESH
AND TELENGANA
Ghusadiisatraditional
dance of the Gond tribal people
performed at the time of
Deepavali,thebiggestfestivalof
the Raj Gonds ofAdilbad District.
As harvesting is over and
the season is cool, the Gonds,
dressedincolourfulcostumes
and decorated with ornaments,
gotoneighbouringvillagesin
groups,singinganddancing.
Telengana folk dance - - Gond Ghusadi by
Sri. Bhupati & group, Hyderabad, Oct 15.

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Jada Koppu Kolattam is the
nameofthealluringdanceform
practiced by young people.
The term Kolattam is derived
from kol, which means, a stick,
andattam,meaningplay.
Thecircularmovementsarewell-
timed and executed, the ropes
hangingfromabove
gettingplaitedbythe
dancers in the form of
chanthadu.
Nirmalpainting,
the 400-year-old art
ofmakingsoftwood
toysandpaintings,
isanattractive
handicraftmodel,the
finely carvedfigures
anddainty paintings
attractingartlovers.
Students of four
schoolsweretrainedin
drawingandpainting
of Nirmal art.Nirmal painting exhibition & workshop by
Smt. Ramadevi & group, Hyderabad, Oct. 20.
Telengana folk dance-Jada Koppu Kolatam by
Sri. Bhupati & group, Hyderabad, Oct 15.

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RAJASTHAN
Sometraditionalfolk
dances of Rajasthan are
losingouttofusiondance,
preventingpuretraditional
danceartsfromreaching
people.
To promote Rajasthani
folk dances, over 30 dancers
wereidentifiedtoparticipate
in the workshop on pure
traditionalfolkdancesincluding
Gangaur,Charu,Ghumar,
TerahtaliandManjira.
Traditional folk dances of
Rajasthan by Sri. Kailash Vijay &
Sri. Manoj Swami, Bikaner, Oct 15.

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KERALA
Therenderingoffolksongsto
theaccompanimentofinstrumental
music by Sri.Adarsh M. R. and
troupe, meant the presentation of
Pathanamthitta Sep 14.
afadingfolkformbyartistesfrom
a rural background. The artistes
weredrawnfromtheVaimuzhi
Folklore Study Centre,
Pathanamthitta.
MAHARASHTRA
Deepshikha, a musical play
onthelifeofwomensaintsof
Maharashtra such as Muktai,
Janabai,Girija,Soyara,Nirmala,
Vena and Meerabhai, was
presented in the form of bhajans,
bharud, abhang, fataka, nandi &
bhairavi.
Thestrugglethesesaints
wentthroughwaswelldepicted
in the play, and co-related to the
problemsofwomenintoday’s
society.
Deepshikha
by
Smt.Anjali
Karhadkar
& troupe,
Pune, Oct 7.

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Natya Nandi Parva, popular
songsofmusicaldramas,also
known as Nandi or opening songs
alongwithmusicalpointers
(suchak pade), rendered by
BalGandharvainplayslike
Saubhadhra,Swayamvurand
Manapman were presented,
withthesingersdrapedin
traditionalcostumes.
Lok Utsav & Baul Mela,
folk music, kathak, poetry
recitation with
instrumental music,
Birbhum,
Sept 12.
Musical play-Natya Nandi Parva” by
Smt. Preethi Gokhale & troupe,
Pune, Oct 21.
Kalagi Tura
(Bhedik Lawani)
by Shahir Bharat
Bhagawat Thorat
and troupe,
Pune, Sept 2.
WEST BENGAL /
AGARTHALA
Lok Utsav and Baul Mela
includedfolkmusic by80artistes,
kathakandpoetryrecitationwith
instrumentalmusic.
Folk music
– Jagran
Gondal by
Shahir
Balasaheb
Kanhere,
Pune,
Sept 23.

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SAMBHRAMA-2016: KARNATAKARAJYOTHSAVA
CULTURAL PROGRAMME ON NOV1
Sri T.S. Nagabharana, noted film director, Dr. B. Jayashree, ex-member of
Rajya Sabha, Dr. Vijaya senior journalist, being felicitated. Also seen in the picture are
H.N. Suresh, Director, BVB, Rtn. H.R. Ananth, District Governor - Rotary District
3190, Rtn. Ambika K. Narayan, District Director - Club Service
Kuchipudi : Prateeksha Kashi and troupe

15. 15
Mohiniattam:
Rekha Raja,
Sindhu Achar,
Tejasvini
Muralidhar,
Angel John,
Kamakshi
Anantha
Subramanya
Yakshagana by Krishnamurty Tunga and party
Dance drama by disciples of Guru B Bhanumathi

16. 16
Odissi : Madhulita Mahopatra, Paridhi Joshi, Sahana R Maiya,
Sonali Mohanthy, Vivekini Das, Bhanu Gupta, Banashree Mahopatra.
Kathak : Disciples of Guru Nandini Mehta and Guru Murali K

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Bharathanatya
by
disciples of Guru B Bhanumathi
Kathakali :
Prabhol Gupta
PT. RAMA RAO NAIK ENDOWMENT : OCT 22.
Carnatic music concert by Vidwan R K Padmanabha

18. 18
DR. MATHOOR KRISHNAMURTI
MEMORIAL CULTURAL EVENTS -
KALABHARATHI STUDENTS
CULTURALPROGRAMME - NOV 6, 12, 19, 20. 2016
Sri. P. Venugopal, Regional Director, ICCR, inaugurates the
Kalabharati convocation. Vidushi Vasantha Madhavi, musicologist, and
Vidushi Dwaraki Krishnaswamy join him.
Kalabharati awardees

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CULTURAL PROGRAMME - NOV 6, 2016
Carnatic vocal by students of Vidushi Bhagirathi
Veena recital by students of Vidushi Rohini
Flute recital by students of Vidwan Omkaraiah
Display
of
drawing
and
painting by
students of
Kalabharathi
under the
direction of
Smt. Insha
Ummehani
and
Sri. Karthik

20. 20
CULTURAL PROGRAMME - NOV 6, 2016
Hindustani
vocal by
students of
Vidwan
Anandaraj
Bharatanatya
by the students of
Smt. Sneha
Harish

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OBITUARY
SPIRITED PATRON
PASSESAWAY.
M.BalamuraliKrishna,
who passed away in Chennai
on Nov. 22, was a many-
faceted person, just as he
wasamusicianofmanyhues.
Histalentlaynotonlyinhis
were scores of music students
andCarnaticmusiclovers.
Balamurali’sconcertsin
the UK, organized by Bhavan,
werehugelypopular.His
music workshops had the
participants askingformore,
forwhatthisendearingmusician
gavewasasmuchofhimselfas
hismusic.Witty,spirited,lively
and accessible—these were his
hallmarktraitsinanyinteraction.
Aboon to the students was
that someone of his calibre
taughtthem,anopportunity
noteasilyavailable evento
musicaspirantsathome.
No request of the Bhavan to
perform for it was waived by
this great artiste, whose one
statementBhavaniteswillrecall
withprideis:“Bhavanisa
Bhavanamofmusic”.
ingenuityofsinging,butinhis
creativity.Thistranslatedinto
amulti-layeredpersonawhich
wassimpleandmirthfuldespite
the worldwide fame he had
earned—anearning which
continuedtilltheend.
Balamurali’sassociation
with BharatiyaVidyaBhavan
goes back to over five decades.
Arelationshipbegunand
cemented for the cause of
music.BeinginvolvedinBhavan’s
activitiescouldnotpossiblyhave
enhanced the status of the already
famousBalamurali.
Bhavanfacilitatedhighquality
musicprogrammesand
workshops of the awesome
singer. He was too happy to be
roped in for any of Bhavan’s
programmesanywhereinthe
world.Whoactuallybenefitted
M. Balamurali Krishna

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We at the Bhavan looked at
himasourpatron,hisassociation
withtheBhavanbeingsointimate
andmeaningful. “Evenas
recently as two years ago,
he performed for our Kolkata
andMumbaikendraswithPandit
Ajoy Chakrabarty. His month-
longmusicworkshopsatthe
London Kendra were runaway
successes. He did not expect,
or accept, first class or business
classflighttickets.Hewould
insistoneconomyclasstravel”,
reminiscesSri.K.N.Ramaswamy,
Director, BVB Chennai Kendra,
aveteranBhavanite.
Whateverthefieldof
accomplishment,itisalways
a matter of pride to have such
personsamongstusinsociety,
especiallyartistes,whoenrich
our lives. Their presence is a feel-
good factor too.
True,Balamurali’smusicwill
liveon.Inthisageoftechnology
itwillnotgointooblivion.Butas
BengaluruKendraDirector,
Sri. H.N.Suresh sums it up:
“Balamuraliisincomparable
as a musician, composer, and
creative artiste. He stood first
amongcontemporarycomposers,
betheyhistillanas,javalis,or
evenhiscombinationofswaras.
Hisjugalbandiswiththelikesof
Pandit Jasraj were a seamless
blend of the two streams of
Indianmusic.
Today we do not have
Lalgudi,Maharajapuram
Santanamandthelike.
The music space looks blank.
There is of course a lot of
promiseamongyoungmusicians.
But there is nobody at the top to
putupontheglobalplatform
likehimatthispointoftime”,
whichsumsupBalamurali’s
presence in, and loss to, the
musicworld.
As a person, what one
remembersimmediatelyabout
thiscolossusofCarnaticmusic
ishisever-smilingfacade,gentle
humourandzestforlife.
“I am a proud Bhavanite as
theBhavanisthehomenotonly
for Indian art but for artistes as
well. The Bhavan has stood the
testoftimeandfromasmall
shoot it has grown into a large
banyantreenow,fosteringIndian
culture”,Balamuralihadsaidof
theBhavan.
Needwesaywewillmisshim
in a very essential sense?

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PROGRAMME :
DECEMBER - 2016
Sat 5.00 p.m. - ESV Hall
03. M.P. Birla Institute of
Fundamental Research -
GraduationDay
for the students of the 100 hours
certificate course and
GeneralAstronomy Course
Sat 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall
10. Horizon series -
Bharatanatya group dance by
Ms.Veena C.S. and Party
(in association with Indian
Council for Cultural Relations)
Fri, Sat & Sun - 4. 00 p.m.
09, 10, & 11. - BVB - Infosys
Foundationprogramme
3 days cultural festival
Venue:Anupu, Hydrabad
Fri 6.00 p.m. -
09. CarnaticVocal music by
Kum.AdhitiB.Prahlad
(in association with Infosys
Foundation)
Venue : Indian Institute of
World Culture, Basavanagudi,
Bengaluru
Fri 4.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall
23. Bhavan-BBMPPublic
SchoolAnnual Day Celebration
Sat 6.00 p.m. -
24. BVB-InfosysFoundation
Outreachprogramme :
Veena-Venu-Violin
Veena : Vidushi Shubha Santhosh
Venu : Vidushi Vani Manjunath
Violin : Vidushi PremaVivek
Mridanga : VidwanAnoorAnantha
Krishna Sharma
Ghata : Vidushi Phaneendra
Bhaskara
Venue : Indiranagara Sangeetha
Sabha,PurandaraBhavana,
8th Main, H.A.L. 2nd Stage,
(BehindIndiranagaraClub)
Bengaluru - 560 038.
Thu 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall
29. PandanallurMuthaiah
PillaiEndowment
Bharatanatya Dance recital by
ChinmayeeKamakotika
Venkatraman
Disciple of
GuruSmt.
RevathiSatyu
Sun 11.00 a.m. - ESVHall
18. Kousalya Bai Endowment
Devotional songs by
Bhavan’s Kalabharati students

24. 24
December - 2016
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JYOTHI RAGHURAM