It's 'Habba' time again

SHOWCASING CULTURE

The Artists Foundation for Arts announced the eighth edition of Bengaluru Habba 2011 at the Chitrakala Parishat on Wednesday. Starting January 14, the festival will continue till January 29. This year, the Habba will have two new additions – IIMB’s college fest Unmaad will be a part of the festival and secondly, members from Karnataka film industry will actively participate in the festival.

“This 15-day event will have an eclectic mix of programmes, bringing out art forms as varied and diverse as local folk and tribal dance, classical plays and performing arts,” said Nandini Alva, one of the organisers.

“The Habba also promises to have an exciting and entertaining offering for Bangalore’s youth. A number of activities and events have been designed to engage and involve them,” she added.

“The Habba is a reflection of our passion towards diverse forms of art, locally and globally. We would like all Bangaloreans to come to the Habba, savour some wonderful performances and return with fond memories of the beautiful festival,” said Padmini Ravi, another member of the organising committee.

Akhil Gupta, cultural secretary of IIMB, said, “Having lived here for five years I have seen the City catering to an array of art forms ranging from folk to rock. Unmaad is one of the biggest college fests of the City and we are expecting participation from more than 130 colleges from across the country. Bengaluru Habba will be a great way of showing the visiting students a bit of our culture here,” he added.Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Guru Kiran, Kadri Gopinath, Padma Subramaniam are some of the noted artistes who will be performing during the 15-day long festival. There is no entry fee for any of the Habba performances.  For more information, log onto www.bengaluruhabba.co.in