As the music season in Chennai winds down, here is an account of some of the event venues I have visited so far in Mumbai.
Shanmukhananda Hall: The first thing that strikes you is how high-security the place is. There are posters detailing what to do in case of a bomb blast. Visitors are patted down, unsettlingly intimately, and stripped of their water bottles!
For Chennaiites: the auditorium is roughly comparable to Sir Mutha concert hall in Chetpet, in size. Minimalism was not their intention in decoration - practically every inch of the space right outside the hall is covered in pictures of Carnatic musicians, of musical instruments, biographies and the like. There are multiple likenesses of MS Subbulakshmi, and a golden statue of Saint Tyagaraja which I very much doubt he would approve of. The sound and seating are good though. I had gone for (some of) a day-long Hindustani event with ragas corresponding to the 8 prahars. The stand-outs were Kalapini Komkali, Parveen Sultana and Venkatesh Kumar. I hope this is a springboard to appreciating Hindustani music more!
Chembur Fine Arts: This is a lot closer to the typical Chennai sabha, although the pillars and general decor made me also suspect it might double up as a wedding venue? I had the pleasure of welcoming my veena gurus to Mumbai here.
National Centre for Performing Arts: I only visited the Experimental Theatre, for a fusion concert by Sanyog. It was a small, intimate hall, with the interior and exterior ambience befitting the location and the ticket price!
Piramal Museum: I was here for a talk by the peerless Chithra Madhavan, about temples as cultural centres. The museum is small but hosts varied pieces of art from different parts of India.
(The last painting is a Mughal-era painting of Draupadi and her attendants, commissioned by Akbar's minister and commander Abd al-Rahim Khan)
Ruparel College: This is one of the regular venues for TIFR's outreach programme, Chai and Why. The talk I had attended drew a varied audience of curious children, their parents and some young adults. It's a friendly atmosphere, with regular interruptions for questions, and of course a chai break. More institutes should do such a thing!
I do have a wish-list (spoiler alert: it includes Wankhede stadium), so do watch this space.
Chembur Fine Arts: This is a lot closer to the typical Chennai sabha, although the pillars and general decor made me also suspect it might double up as a wedding venue? I had the pleasure of welcoming my veena gurus to Mumbai here.
National Centre for Performing Arts: I only visited the Experimental Theatre, for a fusion concert by Sanyog. It was a small, intimate hall, with the interior and exterior ambience befitting the location and the ticket price!
Piramal Museum: I was here for a talk by the peerless Chithra Madhavan, about temples as cultural centres. The museum is small but hosts varied pieces of art from different parts of India.
(The last painting is a Mughal-era painting of Draupadi and her attendants, commissioned by Akbar's minister and commander Abd al-Rahim Khan)
Ruparel College: This is one of the regular venues for TIFR's outreach programme, Chai and Why. The talk I had attended drew a varied audience of curious children, their parents and some young adults. It's a friendly atmosphere, with regular interruptions for questions, and of course a chai break. More institutes should do such a thing!
I do have a wish-list (spoiler alert: it includes Wankhede stadium), so do watch this space.
Good aparna nice to read a youngsters blog.. Keep it up
ReplyDeleteNice read!
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