Creating spaces for art to thrive

Through concerts, scholarships and community initiatives, Sapthak nurtures artistes, engages audiences and keeps music alive, writes Divyashri Mudakavi

Long before the lights illuminate the auditoriums and the first Hindustani raga begins, 75-year-old G S Hegde is already at work. A retired bank professional and accomplished tabla artiste, Hegde’s deft rhythms have enriched countless concerts. Yet perhaps his finest work has unfolded offstage.

Through his organisation, Sapthak, Hegde has, over the past two decades, curated nearly 950 programmes across classical art forms, bringing them to audiences nationwide. He has discovered talent, presented more than 5,000 artistes, secured sponsorships, calmed anxious performers and turned modest venues into lively cultural spaces. Many young artistes, now celebrated, received their first on-stage performance opportunity through him.

Working quietly behind the scenes with minimal fanfare and little rest, Hegde and his wife Geeta, a music Guru and Sapthak trustee, have turned the second floor of their Malleshwaram home in Bengaluru into a cultural hub.

“Even while working at the bank, I used to organise music programmes. But finding a perfect venue was a problem. So, when I started Sapthak in 2006, I decided to have an auditorium of my own,” says Hegde. The auditorium, with a seating capacity of 200, has hosted numerous seasoned and emerging artistes, presenting Hindustani music, classical dance, Harikathe and a variety of other classical and folk art forms. They gradually expanded the organisation’s reach to smaller towns in the state and eventually to other parts of the country.

Hegde comes from a Yakshagana family at Gunavante in Uttara Kannada district and developed an affinity to bhajans, keertans, dance, drama, Yakshagana, music and other art forms at a young age. When in college, he learnt tabla from known artistes including Rajeev Purandare and S M Bhat Kattige, and developed a penchant for music. He went on to join Karnataka Bank, but his love for the performing arts kept him constantly engaged.

His enthusiasm led his wife to study and master Hindustani music, and their son, Dhananjay, displayed an early talent and started his training at a young age. During this phase, Hegde organised programmes featuring several acclaimed vocalists. However, he saw a gap between artistes and audiences. To bridge it, he launched Sapthak, curating classical music, Yakshagana and Talamaddale, eventually expanding to diverse art forms and creating a vibrant community of art lovers.

“The music programmes organised by him have a mix of senior and budding artistes and draw a good audience. Sapthak programmes are organised in systematic way and begin on time,” says CHS Bhat, who has been following Sapthak’s programmes since its inception.

Hegde keeps a directory of nearly 10,000 art enthusiasts, updating them about every programme. He believes a quality audience is the heart of each performance and ensures the right stage, particularly for young artistes. Asked about his audience, Hegde says older attendees are more consistent, but youngsters are showing greater interest post-pandemic, enjoying both classical and rock music freely.

“Getting donors was difficult initially. Once people began trusting Sapthak, several major philanthropists came on board. Thus, all our programmes have free entry,” explains Geeta who has trained nearly 500 students.

Today, Sapthak even supports other organisations in arranging programmes, cultivating a culture where people can come together to celebrate traditional art forms. The charitable trust offers free training to talented students and until now, nearly 200 students have benefited from it. They provide scholarships to talented artistes, supply instruments to music schools and organise demonstrations. Beyond promoting the arts, they engage in cleanliness campaigns, plantation drives, school repairs and other social initiatives. Their son, Dhananjay, a noted artist based in Mumbai, supports every effort.

Koushalya Bhat, a Bengaluru-based music teacher, who benefited from such scholarships, can’t thank them enough. She says the Hegde couple pays individual attention to every student and provides a platform to showcase their talents.