Cyber city turns culture capital

Cyber city turns culture capital
Subrahmanyan Viswanath
Begun on modest scale, Bengalooru Habba, every cold and chilly December's ten days, has turned the City into boisterous hubbub of cultural activity with sumptuous smorgasbord of enlivening and edutaining ensemble events...


They are two of a kind. This twosome-winsome women. The danseuse duo bonded by a common cause called culture. Knit by the single knot of providing perfect platform for vibrant kalediscope art forms that State abounds in.

With cosmopolitan Bengalooru, its cross cultural canvas and confluence of influences, lending itself an ideal ambience, it was only in fitness of things, Habba, yes, namma Bengalooru Habba, had the entire citizenry in the thrall of its all encompassing, exciting ensemble entertainment come December.

Brainchild of enterprising trustees of ubiquitous Artistes Foundation for Arts Ms Nandini Alva and Ms Padmini Ravi, Bengalooru habba, took wings five winters back. It was to bring all things art and beautiful, in myriad eclectic forms, up, close and personal, for the diaspora, specially, nouveau youth caught in the cusp of dynamically changing lifestyles, cultural moorings and professional calling.

Begun on modest scale, Bengalooru Habba, every cold and chilly December’s ten days, has turned the City into boisterous hubbub of cultural activity with sumptuous smorgasbord of enlivening and edutaining ensemble events. Festooned with distinctly regional flavour, the habba, has singularly sought to showcase every strands of art forms and genres ensuring it was holistic in character and representative in spirit.

Humungous in its ambitious scope and sweep, the habba, has, nevertheless, had in it, bit for all, right from the connosieurs to commons, the initiated to interested, young and the old, a spectrum of selections to cull and choose.

While, on one hand, it brought under universal umbrella, the famous and new entrants to showcase their talents, on the other, it also ensured each and every avowed appreciator of art, music, dance and culture, in their myriad medley, rightly melded with discerning palates of every hue. Yes, there was no hype and hoopla this time around and rightly so. For an event that has finally found its feet, word of mouth was right mode for the message to spread around.

Each and every cultural hotspot of City teamed with diaspora drawn by the inviting, invigorating opium of entertaining experience to savour the rich repetoire of magical events that enlivened their evenings. The tableau of iconic names in their respective fields were enough to draw aficionados, ardent fans, and those curious to find out what the habba and the hubbub was all about.

This time though, with Namma Metro having eaten into last lush lung space of majestic Mahatma Gandhi Road, absence of ‘Artist’s Walkway’ from Kumble Circle to Brigade Road junction that showcased art was woefully felt.

In fact, it acted as perfect ambience to create necessary interest on offerings that habba had. Ofcourse, carping cassandras may have their reservations whether it reached those it was intended at, but, as any ambitious undertaking of unparalleled scale and ambition that seeks to harmonious itself with cosmopolitan taste of a City in flux, it is bound to have its shortcomings.

Truly, Karnataka and Bengalooru, came alive the past ten December days, with every nook and niche of the City, reflecting its true comopolitan and cultural conscious character. It transformed an otherwise busy Capital into a festive mood, caught up as it is with all things global and its citizens furiously going about their diurnal duties as if there was no morrow. The habba also helped fashion a platform wherein the brightest and the best in the State and the talented could share with national artistes as well.

As one bids adieu to a truly people’s habba that feted and toasted creme la creme of cultural ambassadors, whose scintillating performances thrilled one an all, we can chorus, come again next year bigger, brighter and better way. Here’s calling for an encore as we await Habba 2008as we say Hallelejuah! to ring in the Christmas knocking on our doors.