Hub of habba all set for jamboree

Hub of habba all set for jamboree
Deccan Herald

From Yakshagana at Ravindra Kalakshetra to folk craft at St George’s Square in Cubbon Park to Kannada plays at Town Hall to food festival at Palace Grounds.....the Karnataka flavour will be hard to miss.

The latest edition of Bengalooru Habba -- the City’s own grand cultural jamboree -- has more than a reputation to live up to as it is happening in the Suvarna Karnataka year. As the curtains go up on Sunday on the Big Bash, organised by the Artistes Foundation for the Arts (AFFA), the eight-day Habba promises to offer the very best in the State’s cultural traditions at venues spread across the City.

From Yakshagana at Ravindra Kalakshetra to folk craft at St George’s Square in Cubbon Park to Kannada plays at Town Hall to food festival at Palace Grounds.....the Karnataka flavour will be hard to miss. The festivities will also spill over to the streets, literally, courtesy yoga demonstrations, street magic-shows and theatre performances virtually all over the City.

Hindustani Mehfil at Ravindra Kalakshetra will host artistes including Balekhan Sahodararu, Pt Rajeev Taranath and Jayatheertha Mevundi, while Yuva Sangeetotsava at Nayana Auditorium will bring together some of the more exciting talents in the Carnatic music arena.


The Habba is set to host some top-notch artists and performers from across the spectrum, including Rashid Khan, Gundecha Brothers, Dr Padma Subramanyam, Prathiba Prahlad, Kadri Gopalnath, Shobhana, B Jayashree, Vani Ganapathy and others. English and Hindi plays will be staged at the JSS Auditorium.

The excitement will peak in the last three days of the festiva l— December 8 to 10 — as the Habba shifts into cosmopolitan mode, hosting everyone from Prasad Bidapa to Shivamani to Thermal & A Quarter. And the now-inevitable dash of Bollywood will be added to the proceedings with performances by Malaika Arora and singer Kailash Kher.

What’s more, a dance and music troupe from London is scheduled to put their ‘wares’ on show at the Habba, again adding that obligatory phoren touch to the festival.

Opening at Kalakshetra

Bengalooru Habba will open at 6.30 pm at Ravindra Kalakshetra on Sunday in the presence of Chief Secretary Malathi Das, Principal Secretary (Information and Kannada & Culture) I M Vittal Murthy and BMP Commissioner K Jairaj. Artistes Maya Rao, R K Srikanthan and Yenagi Belliappa will be honoured.