Ever
since the Ravindra Bhavan-Vasco came into being, tiatr lovers of the port town
breathed a sigh of relief as the wouldn’t have to travel the long distances to
Margao or Panjim to enjoy their most beloved source of entertainment, Goa’s
very own tiatr. The infrastructure of the new complex has been grabbing
eyeballs since its inception and the place has been chosen by many to be an
ideal venue for numerous commercial events and other activities. While this has
benefited the venue, many have started to wonder whether this cultural house
will actually be used to host cultural events rather than only commercial dos.
Assuring
that it will is Chandrakant K Gawas, Vice Chairman, Ravindra Bhavan, Vasco.
“Our motive is to produce artistes. We hold many workshops in order to groom
artists. Though it is just two years old, we have had workshops on compering,
photography, dandiya and garbha, etc. Also, two major festivals i.e. Marathi
Natyamahotsav ‘Panchnatyarang’ and Hindi Natyamahotsav, were organised with
support from the Directorate of Art and Culture and Kala Academy. Vasco is akin
to a metropolitan city and is home to many Hindi-speaking people, hence our
Hindi Natyamahotsav received a great response. Keeping in mind our tiatr
audience, we will be hosting tiatr festival in December. These festivals will
become an annual affair,” he said.
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Elaborating
on how the establishment helps in grooming artistes, he stated, “Besides
hosting regular workshops for these artistes, we also have young Goan artistes,
who are passionate about drama and music, approach us with their groups asking
to put up shows. We do so and reimburse them their musical requirements.”
In
the first week of December, the terrace of Ravindra Bhavan Vasco will be
utilised by the Association of Friends of Astronomy for star gazing sessions.
“Our terrace was vacant, hence we are allowing the Association to make use of
it effectively. Since our building is close to seashore, it will offer a
breathtaking view through the telescope,” he added.
This
place is also a kick-off point for major marathons. “We give our premises on
rent for various marathons as our institution mainly encourages art and
culture,” explained Gawas.
He
also added, “From this year, we have started a six-month course equivalent to a
music degree course to learn tabla, harmonium and singing. We have a teacher
from Kala Academy training these students after their regular school hours.
Ravindra Bhavan Vasco is the first to commence this course.”
“There
are around 800 members registered with Ravindra Bhavan Vasco. These members are
informed via SMS about our programmes. Apart from this, we have also started
our website which gives insight about our activities,” concluded Gawas.
Over
the span of two years, Ravindra Bhavan is been host to many different dramas
that were free for viewing. There have also been some quality ticketed dramas
in Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati staged here. The establishment intends on
continuing such activities while adding to it in due course.
