A Cultural Landmark
The Chowdiah Memorial Hall is a cultural center in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances as well as competitions. Located in Malleswaram, it was built as a tribute to Tirumakudalu Chowdiah.
The Inspiration
K.K. Murthy, former chairman of the BDA, came up with the idea to construct a hall for music and other cultural events. As he walked one morning in a park, he ruminated over M.L. Vasanthakumari's concert he had heard the previous evening at the Ramanavami music festival. "I remember the concert went on till midnight and it was heaven," he recalls. He felt a deep urge to do something for the arts in gratitude for the enjoyment artists had brought to audiences over the years. This thought kept at his mind till he came up with the idea to construct a hall in memory of the maestro of the seven-stringed violin—Mysore T. Chowdaiah. Murthy's father K. Puttu Rao was a great connoisseur of music and a close friend of Chowdiah's, so that might have played a part in his decision.
A Bold Architectural Vision
Making it a unique hall was important, and since it was a tribute to one of the greatest experimental violinists Karnataka produced, Murthy thought it should be in the shape of a violin. "When I discussed the idea, people thought I was mad to attempt anything like building a violin-shaped hall," laughs Murthy as he recalls the beginnings. But he decided to go ahead anyway. The location was of prime importance and had to be tackled first. The majestic beauty would have to be visible from an elevated point for complete visual impact.
Finding the Perfect Site
A low-lying area, Gayatri Park Extension that lay in a cradle below the Sankey Tank Road was picked. Formerly a swampy area often called Owl Creek, the area had been gradually developed into a park as the residential extension expanded. The city corporation agreed to give the tract of land to the Academy on an unbelievable 99-year lease!
Financial Challenges
"Money was a big concern. I started raising public donations." People who loved music started contributing Rs. 300 or Rs. 500 or any other amount they could. "But it was a big project and we ran into constant trouble because there were never enough funds. I remember, in fact, how we had only Rs. 5.75 as bank balance when the late President V.V. Giri came to lay the foundation stone for the Hall!" Syndicate Bank gave them a generous Rs. 5 lakh loan. So when money froze again, Gundu Rao, the then Chief Minister released a Rs. 20 lakh grant.
Engineering a Violin
S.N. Murthy, the architect, was given a violin which he would dutifully bring to the construction site so that the building would be an accurate and perfect replica of the original instrument—a seven stringed violin, complete with the strings, keys, the bridge and the bow! Tonnes of bricks, glass, marble and metal went into building this superb violin. Getting the shape right wasn't easy and the structure was demolished and rebuilt at least 10 times. The construction of the bow posed many technical challenges, being a massive 140 feet in length. It was fabricated in mild steel on the site itself. Aluminium strings were acquired with the KEB's help to give the final touch to the seven strings of the violin.
Inauguration and Unique Status
Finally, it was inaugurated in 1980. At that time, it was the only auditorium in the country with a 1,100 seating capacity specifically designed to host cultural events. It is also probably the only auditorium in the world that is dedicated to the memory of a musician and shaped like a violin.
A Vibrant Cultural Hub
The auditorium hosts a wide range of events from Carnatic and Hindustani concerts, jazz, ballets, traditional and contemporary dance performances, fashion shows, plays, jugalbandis, ghazals, international music festivals, graduation ceremonies, and school day programmes. Several eminent performers such as ML Vasantha Kumari, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, L Subramaniam, Girish Karnad, Hema Malini, SP Balasubramaniam and numerous foreign artistes have performed here.
Source:
Chowdaiah Memorial Hall
