Elegant auditorium at an affordable price

Elegant auditorium at an affordable price

M. Raghuram

Yavanika in Bangalore has acoustics that have been specially designed

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

A view of Yavanika auditorium on Nrupatunga Road in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: At a time when auditoriums are designed for those who like to sink into plush seats in air conditioned environs, it is hard to find a no-frills, elegant, comfortable — and affordable — auditorium in Bangalore.

The renovated Yavanika auditorium at the State Sports and Youth Services Department on Nrupatunga Road can now claim to provide just this.

Last March, the 20-year-old U-shaped auditorium, styled after a classical opera house, got itself a new hi-fi sound system, electronic light control, an overhaul of seats and a fresh coat of polish to the elaborate wood-panelled walls.

The 400-seat auditorium has become a popular venue for theatre performances, lectures and youth programmes. But the reason for its popularity owes to another reason: while the rent for plush auditoria is Rs. 30,000 a day, it is Rs. 3,500 a day for Yavanika auditorium, and better still, youth can avail themselves of the facility for free.

The renovation is not complete yet, Commissioner of the Sports and Youth Services Amar Kumar Pandey told The Hindu.

Still in the pipeline are wall-to-wall carpeting, replacement of floor tiles, a make-over for the green rooms, changes which have been approved by the Government. Within six months, audiences can expect a fully renovated Yavanika auditorium.

Mr. Pandey said these changes would certainly add value to the auditorium, a space that had always been accessible to the common man and extensively used for youth related activities. Every Friday, Yavanika is booked for youth related activities between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at subsidised rates and sometimes free.

G. Shivanna, editor of Yuva Karnataka, the official organ of the department, said: “The acoustics have been specially designed to make it possible for Yavanika to use a minimum number of speakers, but yet reach remarkably clear sound to every corner of the auditorium.”

Mr. Shivanna said the wood panelling of the walls prevented echoing and leak of the sound outside the auditorium even when the doors were open.

The crescent shaped seating provides unhindered view of the stage.