It is like a dream coming true for the people of Hubli and Dharwad. The recent announcement made by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to set up the National Centre for Hindustani music is slowly taking shape.
North Karnataka, known for the melody of Hindustani music with Dharwad district alone producing brilliant musicians of national and international repute like Dr Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Dr Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Rajshekar Mansur and Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru.
The district administration has accomplished its task by identifying a suitable land for the music centre and a detailed proposal has also been sent to the State government for its approval.
The need for a full-fledged Hindustani music school was always felt here and the announcement to set up a National Centre for Hindustani music, on the 95th birthday celebrations of Dr Hangal, came as a boon to music lovers. It was a great delight to those who wanted to pursue music professionally.
The deputy chief minister had promised that the government was ready to spend any amount for this in the interest of protecting and preserving the rich tradition. Deputy Commissioner M S Srikar and Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Commissioner P Manivannan were assigned to identify a suitable land and send concrete proposals in this regard.
On the lines of this, the district administration had located a 5 acre stretch near Unkal on Hubli-Dharwad Road within a period of one month. Situated at the foothills of Nrupathunga Hills, the proposed land is hardly 1.5 km from the main road.
The serene atmosphere here is a perfect location for music learners.
The HDMC is also pitching in to help construct the music centre by agreeing to part its land for this great purpose. It has also volunteered to re-locate the road that passes through the plot so that the music centre gets a big share of land.
Interestingly, the HDMC had also held a meeting with the noted personalities of Hubli and Dharwad cities to elicit their opinion about the proposed music centre. Proposing to introduce the Gurukul system in the music centre, Dr Hanagal, who participated in the meeting, said the school should be on the lines of Shanthiniketan of Kolkata.
All their suggestions have been compiled and sent to the government for necessary action. Apart from this, views and suggestions of senior artistes from all over the country will be solicited because of the unique characteristics of the academy.
A preliminary meeting with Dr Gangubai Hanagal and other senior Hindustani music artistes of the region was held this April 6 to chalk out the details of the Centre for Hindustani Music. Reputed personalities in the field of culture and literature like Nadoja Chanaveer Kanvi, Sadanand Kanvalli, Naganth Wodeyar, Rajshekar Mansur, Hyavadhan Joshi attended the discussion. Architectural requirements, conceptualisation of the functioning of the Centre and formation of committees to suggest the model and other things were discussed in the meeting attended by more than 25 artistes.
Two committees will be formed to look into the conceptualisation of the music centre. While the first one will analyse the functioning, management and systems to be followed, the second one will consider the aspects of the architectural and physical needs of the music centre. It was also suggested that a small team can be sent to a few academies in Kolkata and Chennai to see the architectural design and functioning of these Centres.
They resolved to develop the music centre into a centre for excellence in the field of Hindustani Music, both structurally and functionally. It was also suggested to emulate the functioning of the ITC Sangeet Academy.
In this residential school, students who come here are expected to learn under a single guru for 5 to 7 years.
To begin with, the centre will focus mainly on a few gharanas like Khirana, Jaipur and Gwalior instead of a general study of all gharanas. Auditorium, centres to practice music, library, museum, residential houses, hostel and other facilities were mooted to help in honing the talents of the music enthusiast, the sources said. The auditorium is planned on lines of Bangalore’s Chowdiah Memorial Hall.
Proposals are on the line to shift the Museum of Hindustani instruments by Hangal Music Foundation to the centre. The Museum of Hindustani music instruments by Hangal Music Foundation can be established here.
The music centre will start its tune with Dr Hangal’s hands as Mr Yediyurappa wants Dr Hangal to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate the music centre that is expected to come up within a year.