The 10-year-old Bharat Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram is making its presence felt in the cultural field on account of a number of innovative measures over the past one year. Sathish Babu Payyannur, member secretary of the institution, talks about the new initiatives on the anvil, which, he hopes, will make it a happening institution in Kerala that takes forwards its aim to work in the fields of art, culture and languages.
Starting from June 30, Bharat Bhavan begins a one-month programme in the United States (U.S.) that is spread over five cities and one in Canada as well. Beginning with a four-day cultural programme and meeting in Houston, Texas, the programme will see Bharat Bhavan reach out to Malayali organisations in the U.S. “We want to explore the possibility of a long-term relationship with these organisations that includes classes in Malayalam, cultural exchanges and training programmes in indigenous art forms of Kerala,” explains Sathish.
For starters, instead of limiting themselves to film-music programmes and cinematic dances, the focus is on folk and ritualistic art forms of Kerala, such as Theyyam, Koothu, Margam Kali, Thiruvathira Kali and Oppana, and also a demonstration of Kalaripayyattu, the martial art form of Kerala.
Sathish says the aim is to expand the activities of the Bharat Bhavan and transform it into a centre of learning and cultural exchanges to facilitate better understanding of our art and culture. “It is very strange that although there are several students of French, German and Russian, there are very few centres that offer training in Indian languages like Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, our neighbouring states. Most of us cannot even read signboards in Tamil. To remedy this situation, we are starting one-month training modules in the three languages in all the district headquarters in Kerala. Anyone can join these courses. We also conducted a workshop on translation called ‘Tribhasha Sangamam’ for students of the University of Kerala. We hope to develop these activities to make it more broad-based,” says Sathish, who visited the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, the biggest in India.
During the past one year, the Bhavan has organised cultural fetes in Kannur and events that showcased the performing arts of other States in India. “Perhaps, for the first time in the history of the Bhavan here, we sent artistes to other events in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Marunadan Nritta Sangamam in Kannur, which was a big hit, showcased cultural arts forms of Assam (Sattriya), Karnataka (Bisu Kamsale) and Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh).”
Over the next year, the Bhavan wants to tie up with the Sangeet Natak Akademi in Delhi and the central Department of Culture to enhance the range of activities of the centre. They also want to increase interactions with cultural organisations of communities from other States who are living in Kerala and make it more meaningful than the occasional get-together.
