Abysmal facilities in City's auditoriums

By K.V.S.Madhav

HYDERABAD, JAN. 19. In the land of powerpoint presentations and hi-tech hype that is Cyberabad nay Hyderabad, the handful of public auditoriums are a sore to the senses. In comparison, even Rome's ancient amphitheaters fare better!

They are infested by bats and bugs and covered in thick layers of dust all over. There are exposed electric wires everywhere, peeling plaster, creaky chairs and torn curtains. By nightfall, some auditoriums turn into open parades for the promiscuous and are stalked by unruly elements.

As if these are not enough comes the unwritten ruling in State- run auditoriums that power consumption is restricted to the minimum. The result? Even during performances, the lighting is dim and obscure. One invariably frets and fumes not due to the heat generated by the onstage antics of the artiste `log', but because of the airconditioners and fans being switched off for days together. A stale odour permeates the places perennially.

Welcome to the dank and musty auditoriums of ours where culture is choked, artistes and visitors stifled and facilities are outdated. The string of auditoriums are run by different departments - Hari Hara Kala Bhavan by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, Indira Priyadarshini auditorium by Education department, Lalitha Kala Thoranam and Ravindra Bharathi by the Department of Culture and the likes of Tyagaraya Gana Sabha, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam by private trusts.

"Barring an exception or two, the auditoriums are not conducive for artistic endeavours. They are ideal only for performing marriages," fumes the president of a cultural organisation which hired the MCH-run Hari Hara Kala Bhavan recently. When it comes to decadence, this huge auditorium takes the cake.

A leading Irish jazz group which performed recently was shocked at the abysmal facilities. One artiste was groping in the greenroom to look at his face! There was only one functional bulb and the mirror was covered with layers of dust. So much for a body which collects clean city awards!

And even before they walked onto the stage, the sound system gave away. In near pitch darkness, the Irish troupe members tried to fix the fault fishing out a torchlight. After some fumbling, the system roared to life with a huge sound that refused to stop.

"Now it is going on its own," they threw their hands up in disgust. Even as the performance began on a dimly lit stage with torn props, two bats emerged from nowhere and the frenzied Irish men started shooting them on camera! "Are we sitting amid ruins or an auditorium," they wondered.

The much in demand Ravindra Bharathi is a shade better, but the unscientific dais position and seating arrangement always ensure a scramble near the stage. The backyards of Indira Priyadarshini, Lalitha Kala Thoranam and Tyagaraya Gana Sabha are "pleasure haunts". At the Lalitha Kala Thoranam, vendors walk around freely selling their wares right in between a show!

Officials tread the beaten track citing inadequate funds for the poor upkeep while those hiring the auditoriums beg to differ. "They insist that we hire the equipment ourselves - chairs, sound system, et al - and that too from people whom they recommend. Obviously, they have a cut there," alleges a president of another cultural society.

None of the auditoriums have modern lighting or acoustic systems. Nor the right props, complains one theatre personality. Amenities for people are worse. "The toilets are atrocious. Drinking water is scarce and eatables sold at exorbitant prices". Need we say more?

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Section  : Southern States
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