<p>Two decades after starting as a venue for a handful of talks, the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) has grown into a major cultural hub, hosting about 500 programmes a year.</p>.<p>Launched on November 21, 2005, BIC moved to its current location in Domlur in 2019. Its foundation stone was originally laid at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), also in Domlur.</p>.<p>BIC’s first director, P R Dasgupta, says the idea emerged when “thinkers of Bengaluru” felt the city needed a space modelled on Delhi’s India International Centre. “It had to be non-partisan and free of government funding,” he recalls. At the time, Bengaluru was emerging as “India’s knowledge capital.” Leaders such as late R K Pachauri of TERI, economist Prof S L Rao, and Shanth Kumar, director of The Printers Mysore Pvt Ltd, backed the plan. With no funds or premises, Pachauri offered TERI’s Southern Regional Centre in Domlur as a space to conduct events from 2005 to 2018.</p>.Bengaluru: Scholarships, awards & new academic block unveiled at CMR university's Founder’s Day.<p>Dasgupta says the first year saw about 24 programmes. Screenings of National Geographic documentaries, and talks by Bharatnatyam dancer Pratibha Prahlad, economist Pieter Bottelier, and former chief justice M N Venkatachalaiah were some of the events in the initial years.</p>.<p>Over the years, BIC has hosted Nobel laureates Venki Ramakrishnan, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Spence, artistes like Shubha Mudgal, Malavika Sarukkai, and T M Krishna, and writers including Amitav Ghosh.</p>.<p>Civic evangelist V Ravichandar, who joined BIC in 2009, played a key role in securing and shaping the Domlur campus. Between 2010 and 2019, he led fundraising and the building committee.</p>.<p>“The idea of owning a property began in 2008. We received a BDA civic amenity site in 2010 on a 30-year lease, after an upfront payment of Rs 3.1 crore,” he says.</p>.<p>Architect Bijoy Ramachandran designed the building, “which went through 18 major iterations.”</p>.<p><strong>Varied programming</strong></p>.<p>Current director Vikram Bhat says BIC now hosts 475 to 500 programmes a year, up from about 375 two years ago. New curated initiatives include BIC Elsewhere (events across the city), B.Lore (films and stories about Bengaluru), and the BIC Podcast. Other highlights are BIC Jaanapada (promoting Karnataka’s folk traditions), Dual Margam (classical dance duets), and cultural festivals such as ‘Krishna to Kaveri’ and ‘Pravaha’.</p>.<p>Going forward, Bhat says “the focus is on stronger curation and (forging) deeper partnerships with city institutions”. The aim is for BIC to remain the go-to space “for informed conversations, arts, and culture while staying inclusive and neutral”.</p>
<p>Two decades after starting as a venue for a handful of talks, the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) has grown into a major cultural hub, hosting about 500 programmes a year.</p>.<p>Launched on November 21, 2005, BIC moved to its current location in Domlur in 2019. Its foundation stone was originally laid at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), also in Domlur.</p>.<p>BIC’s first director, P R Dasgupta, says the idea emerged when “thinkers of Bengaluru” felt the city needed a space modelled on Delhi’s India International Centre. “It had to be non-partisan and free of government funding,” he recalls. At the time, Bengaluru was emerging as “India’s knowledge capital.” Leaders such as late R K Pachauri of TERI, economist Prof S L Rao, and Shanth Kumar, director of The Printers Mysore Pvt Ltd, backed the plan. With no funds or premises, Pachauri offered TERI’s Southern Regional Centre in Domlur as a space to conduct events from 2005 to 2018.</p>.Bengaluru: Scholarships, awards & new academic block unveiled at CMR university's Founder’s Day.<p>Dasgupta says the first year saw about 24 programmes. Screenings of National Geographic documentaries, and talks by Bharatnatyam dancer Pratibha Prahlad, economist Pieter Bottelier, and former chief justice M N Venkatachalaiah were some of the events in the initial years.</p>.<p>Over the years, BIC has hosted Nobel laureates Venki Ramakrishnan, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Spence, artistes like Shubha Mudgal, Malavika Sarukkai, and T M Krishna, and writers including Amitav Ghosh.</p>.<p>Civic evangelist V Ravichandar, who joined BIC in 2009, played a key role in securing and shaping the Domlur campus. Between 2010 and 2019, he led fundraising and the building committee.</p>.<p>“The idea of owning a property began in 2008. We received a BDA civic amenity site in 2010 on a 30-year lease, after an upfront payment of Rs 3.1 crore,” he says.</p>.<p>Architect Bijoy Ramachandran designed the building, “which went through 18 major iterations.”</p>.<p><strong>Varied programming</strong></p>.<p>Current director Vikram Bhat says BIC now hosts 475 to 500 programmes a year, up from about 375 two years ago. New curated initiatives include BIC Elsewhere (events across the city), B.Lore (films and stories about Bengaluru), and the BIC Podcast. Other highlights are BIC Jaanapada (promoting Karnataka’s folk traditions), Dual Margam (classical dance duets), and cultural festivals such as ‘Krishna to Kaveri’ and ‘Pravaha’.</p>.<p>Going forward, Bhat says “the focus is on stronger curation and (forging) deeper partnerships with city institutions”. The aim is for BIC to remain the go-to space “for informed conversations, arts, and culture while staying inclusive and neutral”.</p>