Vasanta Habba
Encyclopedia
Vasanta Habba which means spring festival in the Kannada language, is a cultural festival organised by the Nrityagram
foundation in the city of Bangalore
, India
. It is a very popular event and is considered the classical Woodstock of India
. This festival, first held in the year 1990, was the brainchild of Protima Bedi
, the founder of Nrityagram
. The festival is held in the premises of Nrityagram at Hesaraghatta in the outskirts of Bangalore and attracts the best musicians, dancers and cultural artists from across India. Starting from an audience of about 3000 in its inaugural year, the 2003 edition saw over 40,000 people attending the event.
) and Suma Sudhindra (who introduced the Tarangini veena). This event was beamed live on Doordarshan
and also received good coverage on other TV channels
by Grammy Award
winner, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
, fusion music
by Taufiq Querishi and qawwali
by the Warsi brothers. This event was attended by over 40,000 people.
and the Carnatic music
exponent, Bombay Jayashri
.
Nrityagram
Nrityagram is India's first modern Gurukul for Indian classical dances and an intentional community in the form of a dance village, set up by Odissi danseuse Protima Gauri in 1990...
foundation in the city of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is a very popular event and is considered the classical Woodstock of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This festival, first held in the year 1990, was the brainchild of Protima Bedi
Protima Bedi
Protima Gauri Bedi was an Indian model turned Odissi exponent. In 1990, she established 'Nrityagram', a dance village near Bangalore.-Early life:...
, the founder of Nrityagram
Nrityagram
Nrityagram is India's first modern Gurukul for Indian classical dances and an intentional community in the form of a dance village, set up by Odissi danseuse Protima Gauri in 1990...
. The festival is held in the premises of Nrityagram at Hesaraghatta in the outskirts of Bangalore and attracts the best musicians, dancers and cultural artists from across India. Starting from an audience of about 3000 in its inaugural year, the 2003 edition saw over 40,000 people attending the event.
Festival
The festival is one-night festival which starts in the late evening and goes on till the early morning of the next day. It is held in the amphitheatre located in the premises of Nrityagram at Hesaragahatta, which is a small village located 35 kilometres from the city of Bangalore. There is no entry fee and the seats are available on a first-come basis. Due to this fact, the seats start filling up from the afternoon itself. The publicity for the festival is held in a unique manner by employing folk artists and other troupes who perform on the roads of Bangalore, which publicise the event and also act as a curtain-raiser for the festival. The event is organised with the help of volunteers who belong to the colleges in the city. Many like-minded people also contribute to the event by sponsoring food stalls at the venue, organising food for the artists and also providing cars and other automobiles for ferrying musicians and artists to the venue. The amphitheatre can accommodate about 3,000 people and large screens are provided outside the venue for people who could not get a seat in time.2002
Held on Feb 2, 2002, the artists who performed included Aruna Sairam (Carnatic vocal), the Warsi brothers (QawwaliQawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
) and Suma Sudhindra (who introduced the Tarangini veena). This event was beamed live on Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
and also received good coverage on other TV channels
2003
Performances in this edition of Vasanta Habba included a concert on the Mohan VeenaMohan veena
The Mohan veena is a stringed musical instrument used in Indian classical music. It derives its name from its inventor Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt...
by Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt also known as V. M. Bhatt is an Indian slide guitar player. Bhatt is the creator of the Mohan Veena...
, fusion music
Fusion Music
Fusion Music is a sub genre of Reggaeton. Calle 13 helped introduce this genre, and are the most famous artists to sing it. It's also known as Alternative Reggaeton. Danny Fornaris is the most famous producer in this sub-genre, known as its Luny Tunes...
by Taufiq Querishi and qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
by the Warsi brothers. This event was attended by over 40,000 people.
2004
Held on Feb 7, 2004, the artists who performed included the renowned saxophonist Kadri GopalnathKadri Gopalnath
Dr. Kadri Gopalnath is an Indian saxophonist and one of the pioneers of Carnatic music on the saxophone.-Early life:...
and the Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
exponent, Bombay Jayashri
Bombay Jayashri
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic music vocalist. She has also recorded songs as a playback singer in South Indian films. She has many albums to her credit, released as cassettes and CDs....
.