For the culturally inclined in Bangalore

The country’s pub capital has, over the years, fallen into the disrepute of being a flighty, flimsy city. However, what very few people elsewhere in the country are aware of is the fact that Bangalore too has a vibrant cultural side to it, with plays, music concerts, art exhibitions crowding its social calendar throughout the year. And the hotspots to host these all are a few auditoriums, almost second home to the city’s culture-crazy junta.

Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall , one of the oldest auditoriums in the city, has witnessed quite a few decades of social and cultural activities. Built in 1935 in traditional Greco-Roman style, this imposing building has two floors with a total capacity of 810 seats. Changes have been made over the years to enhance its acoustics and improve viewing.

A stones throw away from Town Hall is Ravindra Kalakshetra. Built in 1963, this hall has recently got a face-lift with new lighting and acoustics systems and improved seats. With a seating capacity of 1500, this still is one of the city’s preferred cultural venues.

Chowdiah Memorial Hall was inaugurated in 1980 and stands out for its unique violin shape. This auditorium is a tribute to the legendary violinist T Chowdiah and accommodates over 1000 people. With comfortable seating, good lighting and acoustics systems, this place has hosted many a Jazz concert, ballet and music recital, and movie screening.

Rangashankara is a cultural melting pot, thriving year-round with workshops and stage productions. A brain-child of the husband-wife duo, Shankar and Arundhati Nag, this theatre can accommodate about 300 people and is disabled-friendly. Rangashankara hosts plays in Kannada and various other languages. A few rows have earphones wired in for translation of dialogues. There is also an art gallery, a bookshop and a café within the premises.

Apart from these, there are quite a few venues like Alliance Francaise, The British Council and Max Mueller Bhavan that host various programmes like music concerts, plays, art exhibitions and language workshops.

And last but not the least, the only place in the city which can accommodate a large crowd for events like rock shows, political gatherings, book fairs and the like is the Palace Grounds. Gayathri Vihar in the same ground, the venue for small-scale events, has also witnessed a host of musical and other cultural events.

All set to make your evenings culturally colourful?