Habba opens cosmo, local culture debate

Habba opens cosmo, local culture debate

Mr Singh said that Bangalore was a cosmopolitan City and people who come to Bangalore should blend with the culture of the City.

Deccan Herald

The State Government would encourage the local culture and give prominence to Kannada and the people of Karnataka, said Chief Minister N Dharam Singh.
Speaking after inaugurating Bangalore Habba on Sunday said that the Bangalore culture has been recognised world wide.

Lauding the achievements of former Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor-designate, S M Krishna, Mr Singh said that after Kengal Haunamanthaiah, Mr Krishna had left a mark in the history of Karnataka by being responsible for construction of Vikasa Soudha and giving prominence to Information Technology and Bio-Technology in the state. He said, Mr Krishna was an ambassador of Kannada culture to Masharastra.

Earlier, Mr Krishna said that economic activity was booming in Karnataka and that the State government should encourage industrial sector.

He also advised the State government to expedite the Devanahalli International Airport. He said that the international airport would improve the State economy.

Writer Prof Baragur Ramachandrappa, expressed his concern about the erosion of Kannada culture due to the influence of capitalists. He said the true meaning of civilisation and globalisation meant the adoption of the local culture and to blend with the local culture and not to make an isolated island of cultures. He said outsiders should learn to respect the local culture.

Protest against Habba

Activists of the Karunada Sene and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike held a protest at the inaugural function of the Bangalore Habba urging Chief Minister N Dharam Singh not to inaugurate the function alleging that the local people and the local artists were not involved in the cultural festival.

The protesters alleged that the local artists and local people were not involved much in the cultural festival though the organisers had named it Bangalore Habba.

Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Prof Chandrashekhar Patil, who led the protest, said that the week-long fest had been sponsored by multinational companies who wanted to destroy the local culture and introduce a new culture of haves and have nots.

He said the fest could not be called Bangalore Habba without the involvement of the local people and just restricting it to a section of the society.

Pointing out that the Government had involved itself with the festival by allocating funds, he reminded the organisers that their expenses were being taken care of by public funds. Hence they had an obligation to involve local people instead of spending the public money on a small group of elites.

However, Chief Minister N Dharam Singh pacified the protesters by assuring them that he would ask the organisers to involve local people and artistes.

Later speaking to reporters Mr Dharam Singh cautioned that the organisers of Bangalore Habba would face serious resistance from local artists if they did not involve them in the festivities.

He said that the local people and artists would have to be involved from next year if they would have to be celebrating the fest.

Nearly 60 activists who protested against the Habba were taken into preventive custody by the police and later released.

TODAY AT BANGALORE HABBA

Venue: Event: Time
Ravindra Kalakshetra (Dance) :
Lakshmi and Priyanka Alva (Bharatanatyam and Kathak duet): 6.30 pm Priyadarshini Govind (Bharatanatyam): 7.15 pm
Nrithyagram (Odissi Ensemble) : 8.15 pm

Town Hall (Regional Arts)
Master Hirannaiah; Lanchavatara : 6.30 pm

Ambedkar Bhavan (Music Venue)
Aditi Upadhya; Hindustani Classical vocal : 6.00 pm
Shashank; Carnatic Flute : 7.15 pm

Chirtrakala Parishat (Kannada Theatre)
Kanoora Heggadathi by Nataranaga, Directed by Shashidhar Bharighat : 6.30 pm

Chowdiah Memorial (English Theatre)
Laughing Wild, Mandira Bedi and Hall Darshan Jariwala, Directed and Produced by Rael Padamsee : 7.00 pm

Shankara Arts Foundation, (Kanakapura Road)
Neela Ramgopal (Carnatic Vocal) : 6.30 pm
Lakshmi Gopalswamy (Bharatanatyam) 7.30 pm