Community halls to get a facelift

BANGALORE: Cultural centres have always held an important place in any society. Showcasing cultural diversity, places like Ravindra Kalakshetra and City Town Hall have enthralled Bangaloreans over the years. As part of the community hall series, City Express takes a look at issues concerning these halls in the city.Named after the former president of Bangalore city municipality, Sir K P Puttanna Chetty, the hall was built in 1935. Organising concerts, dance recitals, plays and book launches; the Town Hall is known for encouraging cultural activities in the city.Speaking about the fees charged Gopi, an employee at the town hall said, “We charge Rs 5515 for 12 hours. Cultural programmes like music concerts, dance and drama performances are also held here. We have now stopped renting out halls for magic shows as they are scheduled for 45-60 days. This extended schedule does not provide us with an opportunity to hold other cultural events.”Protests in front of the city town hall are a common scene for those who commute on this road. When asked about the protests and other processions which take place here, he said, “It is very important for those groups to seek prior permission by the police department to organise any protests or processions in the vicinity.”For those who have visited Town Hall the musty ambience, torn carpets, wood peeling and faded paint on the walls are not an unusual sight. However, all hope is not lost as the Town Hall will soon undergo a complete make over. Gopi further added, “The project of renovating the hall will be completed in three months. The hall can be hired after February as the renovation would be complete by then.”Another cultural centre is Ravindra Kalakshetra, which was built to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore and was inaugurated in 1963. This is one of the technically developed halls in the city. Maintenance of these halls comes under the Public Works Department (PWD) which looks after the acoustics, lighting, seating arrangements and others. The renovation of the hall and seats were last replaced in 2007 by PWD said Hiriyanna, manager of Ravindra Kalashektra.Adding further about the procedure to book the hall for cultural activities, he said, “Three months prior to the event, the request letter has to be given to the authorities to book the hall. The request will be considered based on the priortity of the programmes.”The Kalakshetra has divided the sessions of hiring the hall for cultural activities into two. Morning sessions are between 11 am to 2 pm and evening sessions are between 6 pm to 9 pm.Explaining about the amount of money charged for booking the hall, Hiriyanna said, “Rs 1500 is the rent for Kannada plays and Rs 2500 is charged for music, dance, book launches, plays in other languages. 10.3 per cent of service tax and common returnable deposit of Rs 3000 is charged to those who want to hire the hall.”