Habba set for grand finale

Habba set for grand finale
Deccan Herald

It was curtains at some of the events of Bangalore Habba on Thursday as it prepared the ground for the grand finale on the last three days of the festivities.

With the weekend slotted for major events like the Jugalbandhi between Pandit Jasraj and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Aman and Ayan Ali Bangash and others, smaller events — Art Espresso the ones at malls, film festivals in open grounds, film music, plays at Chowdiah, classical music, street theatre and such others — were being brought to a close.

Friday would witness another largescale event in the form of a high energy performance on the Dhol by members of the Dhol Foundation led by Johnny Kalsi. A team of 50 odd percussionists from UK would render an intense mix of rhythm and sound through Bhangra and dance with the help of a dhol, the organisers stated.

Alongside the music programmes at the Palace Grounds, there will also be food stalls to cater to the taste buds of the audience — traditional cuisine from Karnataka will be showcased, in addition to cuisine from elsewhere. Given that it’s the weekend, the organisers are hoping that a huge crowd would turn out for the mega events making them a big success. As such, the events have no entry fee except for the VIP slots.

Meanwhile, day-to-day events like Art Espressos, music programmes and others went on as usual bringing its own set of people, some who had come by hearsay, some who did so out of their own interest.

At the Shivajinagar Grounds where the film festival was being held, there was an air of nostalgia as people watched films on a projector in an open field seated on nothing great but simple plastic chairs. The grounds located adjacent to the Shivajinagar bus stand had about 250 people seated casually, comfortably, some smoking away and enjoying the show — Beladingala Bale — despite the chilly misty winter in the City. With a weeklong kaleidoscope, the Bangalore Habba appeared to have brought people out to experience music, culture, art, dance and games at remote corners in significant numbers. Hence the final three-day treat over the weekend to say, so long and thanks for all the fun.