If you are tired of the routine city life of Bangalore, here is a chance to celebrate the true spirit of Bengaluru (aka Bangalore). The event is called Bengaluru Habba. Habba means Festival in Kannada. This festival is spread over 9 days and it usually happens in the month of December. This year, Bangalore is all set to witness the 6th year in succession. In 2008 due to terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the event has been pushed to February 2009 and it has started today! I have been pretty regular all these years, this year is no exception! I thought of sharing more information about this event through my blog so that it gets a little bit more publicity and people of Bengaluru get to celebrate.
The best part about this festival is that, there is no entry fee for any of the program. You just need to be at the venue to collect entry passes free of cost and enjoy the programs ranging from dance, music, theater, fashion and interactive sessions to crafts, arts, sports etc., Most of these programs will be conducted at public places like parks, temples, malls and art theaters to facilitate more people to witness the cultural richness this great place has. Also, it forms a platform to highlight all forms of art from Hindustani Classical Music to Jazz. This means a way to opt for what an individual likes and to enjoy their choice of entertainment, all being in Bengaluru 🙂
Since last year, swimming and golf have been included to promote sports as a part of this Habba apart from arts. This year, MG Road will miss this event in view of the Bangalore Metro Rail work. For more information on this event visit the official site of Bengaluru habba at http://www.bengaluruhabba.co.in. This site provides all the information about the venues, route maps, schedules, programs apart from info about the past and has an active photo gallery as well. Anoushka Shankar will be performing her magic with Sitar while concert of the trio music directors Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa are all set to rock Bengaluru Habba. So, check the official site for all the details and celebrate the spirit of Bengaluru.
Mohan says
@Ruchi
Sure, as and when something random happens on these cultural lines, i will certainly keep my audience posted about it. Thanks for visiting.
@Anand
@Rajan Sharma
Yes, those two programmes are the highlights of this years Bengaluru Habba.
@Radhika Ganesan
Yeah.. Bangalore should have been know more beyond its traffic woes and IT rendezvous. This initiative is towards that and hope the Bengalurians as well as people around the country realize the need for such events to promote our rich culture through a common platform 🙂
Btw., it is an initiative of AFFA (Artists foundation for Arts) and very minimal credit to govt.
Radhika Ganesan says
Wow ! I never knew about such festival … its such a nice city … sounds like Bengaluru is not in India … how come government is ready to shell out money from its pocket for nothing in return ! I am amazed ! Must be having a rocking time ! Enjoy … i hope many more cities celebrate something like this !
Rajan Sharma says
Hey Mohan, thanks for the write up. I think all bloggers should take up the task of promoting this event. I am looking forward for Anoushka Shankar’s concert this weekend 🙂
Anand says
I was at Palace grounds for Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s program and I enjoyed it very much. Yes, not many are aware of this Bangalore Habba. Even if they are aware, not many are participating in festival. Though times of india is publicizing it through its print media, people are yet to realize the importance of such events and appreciate them.
Ruchi says
Hey! I was not aware about this festival.Sounds too good and full of enthusiasm. Keep on giving this kind of information so we can know about all type of cultures and traditions.