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Vol.17 No. 12 December - 2016

bhavanblrhns50@gmail.com

INFOSYS FOUNDATION ANUPU FESTIVALDEC 9, 10 & 11

Anupu, on the banks

of the Krishna river nearNagarjunasagar dam, is anexpansive archaeological wonderof Buddhist learning and culturedating back to the 3rd century.

It is not just a touristdestination; it is a historic walk

into an ancient seat of MahayanaBuddhism in South India,its magnificent architecture areflection of past glory broughtto life.

Discovered during theconstruction of the dam, the ruinsof the ancient Buddhist centre

TRIBUTE TO BUDDHIST HERITAGE

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was unearthed, literally throwingup a place of marvellousarchitectural interest, completewith a Vihara (Buddhistuniversity), Harati temple and alarge amphitheatre.

Anupu, the place whereAcharya Nagarjuna preachedMahayana Buddhism, waspainstakingly reconstructed indetail by the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India, the 80 hectaresof the site coming alive as ahistorical and cultural worldmonument of Buddhism.

The intricacy of the structureslie in their divisions, the stupashaving circular brick walls withcladding of limestone slabs,

the Simhala Vihara housing twohalls, one enclosing an image ofthe Buddha, and the monasterieshaving limestone columns set inbrick and stone walls.

The amphitheatre enjoyspride of place, its steppedcolumns opening up to a centralplayground. Just before theamphitheatre is the Harati templesporting a statue of the motherGoddess in a sitting posture.

The stark and arid landscapeof Anupu, scattered with greenery

Limestone - Ayakpata showing the transportaion of Siddhartha’s headgear (crown)to heaven by the gods, accompanied by musicions.

MEGACULTURALFEST - 2016

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here and there, has its own uniqueappeal.

The Anupu festival is acelebration of India’s richBuddhist heritage, where theancient monument will reverberatewith traditional performing artsevents, seamlessly linking theglories of an ancient time to thecultural legacies of a later age,while nurturing and preservingthe same for times to come.

Centred geographically,linguistically, and culturally in theAndhra region, the festival willnaturally focus on folk arts,theatre, and classical dance andmusic drawn from there, withspecial emphasis on folk forms,their colour, vibrancy, and theirvery sustenance factored in.

Symbolically, the festivalwill be inaugurated by Buddhist

monks who will pay floraltributes to the image of Buddha.

The maiden performancewill be the folk dances ofAndhra, representing theessence of Telugu art vis a visan indigenous culture, followedby a nadaswaram recital, whichdates back to generations ofplayers in the Telugu heartland.

Instrumental music,Kuchipudi, folk dances,classical dance features exclusiveto Andhra, and devotional musicembody the arts featured at thefestival, a highlight of which is acultural programme by theemployees of Infosys.

Their stage outing willshowcase music, dances,and a fashion show, the specialitybeing that all of them will bein the traditional format.

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Even the fashion show willfeature traditional costumesdrawn from different states ofIndia, where the essence ofTelugu will blend into the richcultural milieu of India.

Over 350 artistes will payobeisance to the Buddha throughthe festival, tailored as a tribute toIndia’s cultural mosaic, integral towhich are age-old monuments.

Indian culture, as evidencedin its scriptures, customs,traditions and arts is not only thesoul of this ancient land but is itshope and beacon light too, forre-creating a beautiful, peacefulworld.

To keep alive India’scultural heritage and diversity,Infosys Foundation has beensupporting activities connectedto art, a recent effort being thereconstruction of ancientmonuments and bringing themalive through traditionalperforming and visual artsfestivals.

The first such festivalwas held in March 2106,at Lakshmeshwara in GadagDistrict, when the restored2,000-year-old expansivetemple complex of Someshwarareverberated with dance and

music, equally of the folkvariety, attracting an audience ofthousands, drawn from adjoiningvillages.

The cultural matrix of Indialies as much in its history, the hugemonuments sprinkled all over thecountry bearing testimony toancient India’s scientificarchitectural intricacies and itsrich tradition of public festivitiesand arts.

To help re-create this pastglory, Infosys Foundation plans towed Indian traditional arts andhistorical monuments by holdingannual culture festivals atarcheologically renovated sites.

The core value theFoundation will establish throughthese festivals, where the venue iscentral to the performances, is thecontinuation of a cultural legacy.

Creating public awareness ofa slice of India’s ancient historyand wooing large audiencesthrough presenting myriad artsagainst a historical backdropwill be of essence here.

The mega Anupu culturefestival, the second event onsimilar lines, is a celebration of thecultural diversity of India in the lapof history.

- Jyothi Raghuram

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Group Dance

Dec 10 : The BVB-ICCRHorizon series presentsBharatanatya group dance byVeena C. S. and troupe at theBhavan premises, at 6pm.A dancer cum academic withseveral interests in allied fieldssuch as stage lighting, Veena has ahost of national and internationalperformances behind her, withthematic dance productions andher Kala Sampada School ofBharatanatya encompassing herholistic approach to the art.

Yoga, Samskritam,Carnatic vocal and dancetheory are part of the curriculumat Kala Sampada, whichinstitution has groomed dancers

who have done particularlywell in dance competitionsand examinations besidesbeing giving solo recitals.

Women’s Instrumental Trio

WATCH OUT FOR

DEC 10, 24, 29.

C.S. Veena

Dec 24 : They proudly callthemselves the Women’s Trio inCarnatic Music, specialising ininstrumental music concerts.Shubha Santosh (veena), PremaVivek (violin) and Vani Manjunath(flute) have been performing as ateam for two years now and aregaining stage space as a three-member women’s troupe.

Currently training withSri.H. S. Sudhindra, Shubha hasseveral performances and awardsto her credit, while Prema,having learnt from Sri. H. V.Krishnamurthy and Smt. NeelaRamgopal, is presently being

Shubha Santosh

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guided by Smt. Kanyakumari ofChennai.

A software engineer byprofession, Prema has pursuedher interest in music parallelly,having many concerts to hercredit.

Bharatanatya by NRI dancer

Dec 29 : The PandanallurMutthaiah Pillai EndowmentProgramme will present aBharatanatya recital by NRIdancer Chinmayee KamakotikaVenkatraman, a dancer with theunique distinction of having bothher dance and music debutperformances the same day!

Chinmayee’s outingsinclude classical solo recitals,group dances— many composedby her, and bhangra, topped offwith Rangila, a dance featurewhere she was bothchoreographer and one amongthe many dancers, and whichwas for a philanthropic cause.

The recital is at Khincha Hall,6 pm.

-JR

Chinmayee Kamakotika Venkatraman

Besides routineperformances, Vani hasventured into interesting outings.She has dabbled in fusion musicwith the troupe Kohum,has composed music for playsand for Doordarshan, and hasorganized classical orchestralmusic programmes.

The trio will perform atIndiranagar Sangeeth Sabhaunder the BVB-InfosysFoundation OutreachProgramme, at 6 pm.

Vani Manjunath

Prema Vivek

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Virupaksha @Hampi

Acrylic on canvas 3ft x 3ft

The painting paysobeisance to the presiding

deity of Hampi, LordVirupaksha, accompanied

by the dhyana shloka,“Aangikam

Bhuvanam...”, of theNatya Shastra, in praiseof Nataraja, the Lord of

dance. The work wascommissioned for HampiUtsav, 2016, at Hampi.

A literally colourfuloutcome of Hampi Utsav 2016was the painting of 40 canvaseswith different subjects, of whichBharatiya Vidya Bhavan’sBengaluru Kendra too boastedof two well appreciated works.

It was an occasion for theKendra to feel proud of; itsDirector, Sri. H. N. Suresh,an award-winning artist, was oneamong the 20 select artists pickedby the Department of Cultureand Toursim, Government ofKarnataka, to participate in theart camp at Hampi, as an adjunctto the festival.

STROKE OF COLOUR AT HAMPI

Hema Koota near theSaraswathi temple, amidst thefamed ruins of Hampi, formedthe awe-inspiring backdropfor the three-day camp, theun-prescribed theme allowingartists to draw from the hauntingbeauty of the surroundings.

What got translated on tothe canvas of Sri. Suresh weretwo nimble figures, Virupaksha@ Hampi and Gandharva@ Hampi. The paintingsencapsulated the presiding deityof the Vijayanagara empire, as areality, and the celestial beings—Gandharvas—as personifying

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Gandharva @Hampi

acrylic on canvas

3ft x 3ft

The painting depicts

flying Gandharvas,

besides tracing

raga chakra –

the assignment of

definite times for

singing particular

ragas in a 24-hour time

cycle. Utsav, 2016,

at Hampi

the beautyof Hampi,inspirationally,and as a conceptionof beauty.

The fluidityand exotic beautyof the forms, bothin the Virupakshaand Gandharvapaintings, was whatset apart the artworks as classics.

- JR

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CUTURAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME REPORTS :BVB-INFOSYS FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES :

SEP, OCT, 2016.

Sixty six cultural programmeswere held in which 661 artistesperformed to an audience of about2000. The events included GondGhusadi and Jada KoppuKolattam folk dances ofTelangana, a workshop onNirmal painting tradition by theHyderabad Kendra, JagranGondol and Kalagi Tura folkdance and music of Maharashtra(Pune Kendra), and Lok Utsavand Baul Mela (Kolkata).

The Jaipur Kendra organiseda folk dance recital cum workshopat Bikaner where artistes got an

opportunity to learn and performtraditional folk dances ofRajasthan.

ANDRAP PRADESHAND TELENGANA

Ghusadi is a traditionaldance of the Gond tribal peopleperformed at the time ofDeepavali, the biggest festival ofthe Raj Gonds of Adilbad District.

As harvesting is over andthe season is cool, the Gonds,dressed in colourful costumesand decorated with ornaments,go to neighbouring villages ingroups, singing and dancing.

Telengana folk dance - - Gond Ghusadi bySri. Bhupati & group, Hyderabad, Oct 15.

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Jada Koppu Kolattam is thename of the alluring dance formpracticed by young people.The term Kolattam is derived

from kol, which means, a stick,and attam, meaning play.The circular movements are well-timed and executed, the ropes

hanging from abovegetting plaited by thedancers in the form ofchanthadu.

Nirmal painting,the 400-year-old artof making soft woodtoys and paintings,is an attractivehandicraft model, thefinely carved figuresand dainty paintingsattracting art lovers.

Students of fourschools were trained indrawing and paintingof Nirmal art.Nirmal painting exhibition & workshop by

Smt. Ramadevi & group, Hyderabad, Oct. 20.

Telengana folk dance-Jada Koppu Kolatam bySri. Bhupati & group, Hyderabad, Oct 15.

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RAJASTHAN

Some traditional folkdances of Rajasthan arelosing out to fusion dance,preventing pure traditionaldance arts from reachingpeople.

To promote Rajasthanifolk dances, over 30 dancerswere identified to participatein the workshop on puretraditional folk dances includingGangaur, Charu, Ghumar,Terahtali and Manjira.

Traditional folk dances of

Rajasthan by Sri. Kailash Vijay &

Sri. Manoj Swami, Bikaner, Oct 15.

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KERALA

The rendering of folk songs tothe accompaniment of instrumentalmusic by Sri. Adarsh M. R. andtroupe, meant the presentation of

Pathanamthitta Sep 14.

a fading folk form by artistes froma rural background. The artisteswere drawn from the VaimuzhiFolklore Study Centre,Pathanamthitta.

MAHARASHTRA

Deepshikha, a musical playon the life of women saints ofMaharashtra such as Muktai,Janabai, Girija, Soyara, Nirmala,Vena and Meerabhai, waspresented in the form of bhajans,

bharud, abhang, fataka, nandi &bhairavi.

The struggle these saintswent through was well depictedin the play, and co-related to theproblems of women in today’ssociety.

Deepshikhaby

Smt.AnjaliKarhadkar & troupe,

Pune, Oct 7.

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Natya Nandi Parva, popularsongs of musical dramas, alsoknown as Nandi or opening songsalong with musical pointers(suchak pade), rendered by

Bal Gandharva in plays likeSaubhadhra, Swayamvur andManapman were presented,with the singers draped intraditional costumes.

Lok Utsav & Baul Mela,folk music, kathak, poetry

recitation withinstrumental music,

Birbhum,Sept 12.

Musical play-Natya Nandi Parva” bySmt. Preethi Gokhale & troupe,

Pune, Oct 21.

Kalagi Tura(Bhedik Lawani)by Shahir BharatBhagawat Thorat

and troupe,Pune, Sept 2.

WEST BENGAL /AGARTHALA

Lok Utsav and Baul Melaincluded folk music by 80 artistes,kathak and poetry recitation withinstrumental music.

Folk music– Jagran

Gondal byShahir

BalasahebKanhere,

Pune,Sept 23.

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SAMBHRAMA - 2016 : KARNATAKA RAJYOTHSAVACULTURAL PROGRAMME ON NOV 1

Sri T.S. Nagabharana, noted film director, Dr. B. Jayashree, ex-member ofRajya Sabha, Dr. Vijaya senior journalist, being felicitated. Also seen in the picture are

H.N. Suresh, Director, BVB, Rtn. H.R. Ananth, District Governor - Rotary District3190, Rtn. Ambika K. Narayan, District Director - Club Service

Kuchipudi : Prateeksha Kashi and troupe

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Mohiniattam:Rekha Raja,

Sindhu Achar,Tejasvini

Muralidhar,Angel John,KamakshiAnantha

Subramanya

Yakshagana by Krishnamurty Tunga and party

Dance drama by disciples of Guru B Bhanumathi

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Odissi : Madhulita Mahopatra, Paridhi Joshi, Sahana R Maiya,Sonali Mohanthy, Vivekini Das, Bhanu Gupta, Banashree Mahopatra.

Kathak : Disciples of Guru Nandini Mehta and Guru Murali K

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Bharathanatyaby

disciples of Guru B Bhanumathi

Kathakali :Prabhol Gupta

PT. RAMA RAO NAIK ENDOWMENT : OCT 22.

Carnatic music concert by Vidwan R K Padmanabha

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DR. MATHOOR KRISHNAMURTIMEMORIAL CULTURAL EVENTS -

KALABHARATHI STUDENTSCULTURAL PROGRAMME - NOV 6, 12, 19, 20. 2016

Sri. P. Venugopal, Regional Director, ICCR, inaugurates the

Kalabharati convocation. Vidushi Vasantha Madhavi, musicologist, and

Vidushi Dwaraki Krishnaswamy join him.

Kalabharati awardees

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CULTURAL PROGRAMME - NOV 6, 2016

Carnatic vocal by students of Vidushi Bhagirathi

Veena recital by students of Vidushi Rohini

Flute recital by students of Vidwan Omkaraiah

Display of

drawing and

painting bystudents of

Kalabharathi under the

direction ofSmt. InshaUmmehani

andSri. Karthik

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CULTURAL PROGRAMME - NOV 6, 2016

Hindustani

vocal by

students of

Vidwan

Anandaraj

Bharatanatya

by the students of

Smt. Sneha

Harish

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OBITUARY

SPIRITED PATRONPASSES AWAY.

M. Balamurali Krishna,who passed away in Chennaion Nov. 22, was a many-faceted person, just as hewas a musician of many hues.His talent lay not only in his

were scores of music studentsand Carnatic music lovers.

Balamurali’s concerts inthe UK, organized by Bhavan,were hugely popular. Hismusic workshops had theparticipants asking for more,for what this endearing musiciangave was as much of himself ashis music. Witty, spirited, livelyand accessible—these were hishallmark traits in any interaction.

A boon to the students wasthat someone of his calibretaught them, an opportunitynot easily available even tomusic aspirants at home.No request of the Bhavan toperform for it was waived bythis great artiste, whose onestatement Bhavanites will recallwith pride is: “Bhavan is aBhavanam of music”.

ingenuity of singing, but in hiscreativity. This translated intoa multi-layered persona whichwas simple and mirthful despitethe worldwide fame he hadearned—an earning whichcontinued till the end.

Balamurali’s associationwith Bharatiya Vidya Bhavangoes back to over five decades.A relationship begun andcemented for the cause ofmusic. Being involved in Bhavan’sactivities could not possibly haveenhanced the status of the alreadyfamous Balamurali.

Bhavan facilitated high qualitymusic programmes andworkshops of the awesomesinger. He was too happy to beroped in for any of Bhavan’sprogrammes anywhere in theworld. Who actually benefitted

M. Balamurali Krishna

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We at the Bhavan looked athim as our patron, his associationwith the Bhavan being so intimateand meaningful. “Even asrecently as two years ago,he performed for our Kolkataand Mumbai kendras with PanditAjoy Chakrabarty. His month-long music workshops at theLondon Kendra were runawaysuccesses. He did not expect,or accept, first class or businessclass flight tickets. He wouldinsist on economy class travel”,reminisces Sri. K.N.Ramaswamy,Director, BVB Chennai Kendra,a veteran Bhavanite.

Whatever the field ofaccomplishment, it is alwaysa matter of pride to have suchpersons amongst us in society,especially artistes, who enrichour lives. Their presence is a feel-good factor too.

True, Balamurali’s music willlive on. In this age of technologyit will not go into oblivion. But asBengaluru Kendra Director,Sri. H.N.Suresh sums it up:“Balamurali is incomparableas a musician, composer, andcreative artiste. He stood firstamong contemporary composers,be they his tillanas, javalis, or

even his combination of swaras.His jugalbandis with the likes ofPandit Jasraj were a seamlessblend of the two streams ofIndian music.

Today we do not haveLalgudi, MaharajapuramSantanam and the like.The music space looks blank.There is of course a lot ofpromise among young musicians.But there is nobody at the top toput up on the global platformlike him at this point of time”,which sums up Balamurali’spresence in, and loss to, themusic world.

As a person, what oneremembers immediately aboutthis colossus of Carnatic musicis his ever-smiling facade, gentlehumour and zest for life.

“I am a proud Bhavanite asthe Bhavan is the home not onlyfor Indian art but for artistes aswell. The Bhavan has stood thetest of time and from a smallshoot it has grown into a largebanyan tree now, fostering Indianculture”, Balamurali had said ofthe Bhavan.

Need we say we will miss himin a very essential sense?

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PROGRAMME :DECEMBER - 2016

Sat 5.00 p.m. - ESV Hall03. M.P. Birla Institute ofFundamental Research -Graduation Dayfor the students of the 100 hourscertificate course andGeneral Astronomy Course

Sat 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall10. Horizon series -Bharatanatya group dance byMs. Veena C.S. and Party(in association with IndianCouncil for Cultural Relations)

Fri, Sat & Sun - 4. 00 p.m.09, 10, & 11. - BVB - InfosysFoundation programme3 days cultural festivalVenue : Anupu, Hydrabad

Fri 6.00 p.m. -09. Carnatic Vocal music byKum. Adhiti B. Prahlad(in association with InfosysFoundation)Venue : Indian Institute ofWorld Culture, Basavanagudi,Bengaluru

Fri 4.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall23. Bhavan - BBMP PublicSchool Annual Day Celebration

Sat 6.00 p.m. -24. BVB -Infosys FoundationOutreach programme :Veena-Venu-ViolinVeena : Vidushi Shubha SanthoshVenu : Vidushi Vani ManjunathViolin : Vidushi Prema VivekMridanga : Vidwan Anoor AnanthaKrishna SharmaGhata : Vidushi PhaneendraBhaskaraVenue : Indiranagara SangeethaSabha, Purandara Bhavana,8th Main, H.A.L. 2nd Stage,(Behind Indiranagara Club)Bengaluru - 560 038.

Thu 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall29. Pandanallur MuthaiahPillai EndowmentBharatanatya Dance recital byChinmayee KamakotikaVenkatramanDisciple ofGuru Smt.Revathi Satyu

Sun 11.00 a.m. - ESV Hall18. Kousalya Bai EndowmentDevotional songs byBhavan’s Kalabharati students

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December - 2016

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JYOTHI RAGHURAM