Ravindra Bharathi is an
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...
located in
Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was named after
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
.
History
On 23 March 1960, the then
Governor of Uttar Pradesh and a former
Chief minister of Andhra State,
Bezawada Gopala Reddy
Bezawada Gopala Reddy (5 August 1907 – 9 March 1997) was an Indian politician. He was Chief Minister of the erstwhile Andhra State (28 March 1955 – 1 November 1956) and Governor of Uttar Pradesh (1 May 1967 – 1 July 1972). He was popular ...
laid the foundation stone of the auditorium. The building was designed by Mohammad Fayazuddin, an alumnus of
Architectural Association School of Architecture,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Built during the birth centenary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore, the auditorium was constructed by the
Government of Andhra Pradesh for over a year. On 11 May 1961, former
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...
,
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan inaugurated it to serve the cultural needs of the region.
The inaugural program was a performance of
Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
's ''Mukta Dhara'' (The Waterfall) under the auspices of the
Osmania University
Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. ...
Dramatic Club as part of the celebrations of Tagore's centenary.
The auditorium
The auditorium continued to be maintained by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In 2005, renovation works were taken up after 44 years of its inauguration. As per that, the government spent 1.5
crore to improve the interiors, lighting, acoustics, air-conditioning, stage, green room. The seating area was totally refurbished to give state-of-the-art look to the auditorium. In addition, the building exteriors, landscaping, parking areas, food courts and other facilities were also improved. For the renovation, the auditorium was closed for a month.
On 11 May 2010, the
golden jubilee celebrations of the auditorium were organised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Department of Culture helped in organising
Kuchipudi recitals by
Shobha Naidu
Sobha Naidu (1956 – 14 October 2020) was among the foremost Kuchipudi dancers of India and a disciple of the renowned master Vempati Chinna Satyam. She mastered the technique of Kuchipudi and began dancing lead roles in dance-dramas at a youn ...
and her troupe, and a
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
ballet by the local Bengali society. In addition, the celebrations featured
playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy and violinist
L. Subramaniam
Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music.
Early years
Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Brit ...
.
Facilities
The auditorium's facilities can be leased by the general public for cultural programs. In 1981, the Government of Andhra Pradesh instituted a Department of Culture and entrusted it with the administration of this auditorium.
The auditorium has a
plinth area of with a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
of 1,104.
The performing stage is 105 feet wide, 48 feet deep and 38 feet high.
In 2009, the
state cabinet minister J. Geeta Reddy inaugurated the website of the auditorium. This facility was to make the process of booking easier.
The building consists of three floors—one main hall that can comfortably accommodate 1,000 people at once, and two others with a seating capacity of 150 and 112 people respectively. The centre is completely air-conditioned and Wi-Fi enabled.
Reconstruction
Telangana state is going to build NEW Ravindra Bharathi in the place of existing one. The Telangana State CMO officially releases a first look designs of new Ravindra Bharathi auditorium with Day and Night View on 04-02-2015. The new building is being designed by noted architect,
Hafeez Contractor.
Events
A 125-day cultural festival in 2016, which included Burrakatha, Hairkatha, Oggukatha, Surabhi natakam, Girijana nrutyalu etc., created a record in the 58-year history of Ravindra Bharathi. Similarly, in 2018, "Salam-E-Telangana", the 30-day Urdu cultural events, which was the first-of-its-kind in the city.
References
External links
{{commons category
New Ravindra Bharathi Building Beats Hi-Tech cityOfficial DESIGNS of NEW RAVINDRA BHARATHI
Buildings and structures in Hyderabad, India
Convention centres in India
Tourist attractions in Hyderabad, India
Auditoriums in India