<p>An 11-day festival will explore how Bengaluru can reimagine itself, from a congested metropolis to a city that honours its culture, public art, and historic architecture. Titled 'Creative City Bangalore: Dialogues & Discoveries', it will feature talks, walks, performances and immersive experiences from January 15 to 25 across seven locations.</p>.<p>Conceived as a response to the city’s growing association with traffic snarls, potholes and urban fatigue, the festival seeks to shift the narrative back to heritage, public spaces, art, ecology and wellbeing, says Jija Hari Singh, IPS (Retd.), managing trustee of ArtMantram Trust, which is organising the initiative.</p>.<p>“My city was once beautiful — known for its gardens, heritage buildings and calm. Somewhere along the way, we lost that identity,” she says. Jija believes public spaces must be designed to heal people; otherwise, "they risk becoming mere corridors of movement". For that to happen, she says art must enter everyday life rather than remain confined to galleries and elite spaces.</p>.Benagluru's Mahadevapura residents highly dissatisfied with civic amenities.<p>“If we can bring people back into parks, heritage sites and commons, they will develop a sense of belonging to the city,” she adds. This, she says, is especially important as young people from across the country move to Bengaluru but often remain culturally disconnected. “The city has not yet embraced them culturally — and that needs to change," she emphasises.</p>.<p>The festival will open with seminars examining contemporary challenges in shaping the city’s future. One session will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and art, aiming to reconnect Bengaluru’s tech workforce with cultural engagement and creative thinking. Another will focus on ecology and well-being, addressing rising anxiety, substance abuse and environmental degradation, with insights from experts in medicine, mental health and urban ecology.</p>.<p>Indian and international artists will take part in a cultural exchange, including a visit to the Roerich Estate. Other initiatives include a wildlife awareness visit for children with disabilities to Bannerghatta National Park. The 'Discoveries' segment will offer curated walks through neighbourhoods such as Malleswaram and Kadugodi, as well as sites like Vidhana Soudha and Lal Bagh.</p>.<p>The festival will also mark the soft launch of Drishyam Yatra, an upcoming art village off Kanakapura Road. Envisioned as a one-acre creative hub, it aims to bring together artists, poets, performers and craftspeople from around the world in a guru-shishya model of learning.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">January 15-25, across locations. Visit artmantram.org or call 97409 54366 for details. Entry free.</span></p>
<p>An 11-day festival will explore how Bengaluru can reimagine itself, from a congested metropolis to a city that honours its culture, public art, and historic architecture. Titled 'Creative City Bangalore: Dialogues & Discoveries', it will feature talks, walks, performances and immersive experiences from January 15 to 25 across seven locations.</p>.<p>Conceived as a response to the city’s growing association with traffic snarls, potholes and urban fatigue, the festival seeks to shift the narrative back to heritage, public spaces, art, ecology and wellbeing, says Jija Hari Singh, IPS (Retd.), managing trustee of ArtMantram Trust, which is organising the initiative.</p>.<p>“My city was once beautiful — known for its gardens, heritage buildings and calm. Somewhere along the way, we lost that identity,” she says. Jija believes public spaces must be designed to heal people; otherwise, "they risk becoming mere corridors of movement". For that to happen, she says art must enter everyday life rather than remain confined to galleries and elite spaces.</p>.Benagluru's Mahadevapura residents highly dissatisfied with civic amenities.<p>“If we can bring people back into parks, heritage sites and commons, they will develop a sense of belonging to the city,” she adds. This, she says, is especially important as young people from across the country move to Bengaluru but often remain culturally disconnected. “The city has not yet embraced them culturally — and that needs to change," she emphasises.</p>.<p>The festival will open with seminars examining contemporary challenges in shaping the city’s future. One session will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and art, aiming to reconnect Bengaluru’s tech workforce with cultural engagement and creative thinking. Another will focus on ecology and well-being, addressing rising anxiety, substance abuse and environmental degradation, with insights from experts in medicine, mental health and urban ecology.</p>.<p>Indian and international artists will take part in a cultural exchange, including a visit to the Roerich Estate. Other initiatives include a wildlife awareness visit for children with disabilities to Bannerghatta National Park. The 'Discoveries' segment will offer curated walks through neighbourhoods such as Malleswaram and Kadugodi, as well as sites like Vidhana Soudha and Lal Bagh.</p>.<p>The festival will also mark the soft launch of Drishyam Yatra, an upcoming art village off Kanakapura Road. Envisioned as a one-acre creative hub, it aims to bring together artists, poets, performers and craftspeople from around the world in a guru-shishya model of learning.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">January 15-25, across locations. Visit artmantram.org or call 97409 54366 for details. Entry free.</span></p>