Bringing music back to the bandstand

Bringing music back to the bandstand

Here’s some music to your ears. After a long gap, NGO Prakruthi will make music at the historical bandstand in Cubbon Park. In the weeks ahead, soloists and choirs will sing old and new Kannada film hits

By Shashwathi Bhanukumar
Posted On Saturday, October 18, 2008

With the Karnataka government openly admitting that only 38 per cent of Bangalore’s population speaks Kannada, there cannot be two opinions on the need to revive Kannada in this city. M S Prasad and Praveen D Rao of the NGO Prakruthi have hit on a melodic idea to bring about this revival. They plan to bring the music back to the historical bandstand in Cubbon Park.

Most Bangaloreans remember the concerts at Cubbon Park’s bandstand on Sundays and public holidays. Thousands would gather to lap up the soothing music. And then for some reason, this music stopped. Prasad says: “The bandstand is in the heart of the city and was known for the music shows. It is time we revived that.The only other place for such shows is Palace Grounds and that is far.”

The duo plan to promote Kannada songs and literature at the bandstand. “Kannada as a language has so much of depth and beauty. This is the point, programmes at the bandstand will bring out,” Prasad explains.

Talking about music, he asks, “How many people really know that R N Jayagopal had written about 14,000 songs. Where are they gone?” For the uninitiated, Jayagopal was a noted lyricist, dialogue writer, director and actor in the Kannada film industry.

Prasad and Praveen plan to rope in celebrities from Karnataka to perform at the bandstand in the coming months. Archana Udupa - the first South Indian to win the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa music talent show, would be singing old Kannada film songs. In the weeks to come, S Pallavi will present a music programme with the theme ‘Bendre meets Kailasam’. While Da Ra Bendre’s songs are firmly rooted in Indian and Kannada poetic traditions, Kailasam is the father of modern Kannada songs. Such fusion of the old and new has not been tried before. Praveen, who is also a well known music director, says proudly, “We have a rich heritage, then why not celebrate our language?”

To give Bangaloreans a taste of the best in Kannada literature, the organisers will set up a book stall near the bandstand. Greeting cards with caricatures of Kannada literature stalwarts would be on sale.

All these efforts will come with an eco-friendly touch. The audience has been asked not to bring plastic items to the venue and not to loiter on the lawn. Also, during shows every Sunday, Prakruthi will plant 25 trees.