Welcome to Bangalore's warm and modern space for music. In Indiranagar, and managed by the Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha. In the late 80s, the connoisseurs here hosted a few concerts in a local hall and went on to promote music classes. Then, they dreamt big and in July 2004, the President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, flew down to inaugurate it. 14,000 sq. ft. built up area in the mezzanine and ground levels, a basement with a hall for classes and space for a library and a mini hall to hold small meetings - this is the Purandara Bhavana.

The semi-circular designed auditorium has space to seat 601 people - 450 on the ground floor and 151 on the mezzanine. Spacious, well lit, good accoustics and fitted with the latest audio system.

And of course, an enlightened management which is passionate about the arts. One year down and the managers now have two tall tasks to accomplish - one, market the facilities they have here to raise money to fund the cultural programmes. Two, respond the call made by Dr. Kalam at the inauguration: become a centre of excellence. Indira Nagar is a cosmopolitan sector of Bangalore, a place where people who are in information technology, in business and in the services reside.

A place where the tennis courts, neigbouring the Bhavana, are often full in the mornings and in the evenings. In the small halls of the Bhavana, built on land given at a cheap price by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), ten teachers, all professionally qualified, teach the young - vocal, violin, mridangam, tabla, harmonium and more. Just the sort of activity residents here wanted for their children.

There are a minimum of two concerts a month - one by a fairly famous artiste and the other by a young artiste of Karnataka. "We get a good audience for our concerts", says S. N. S. Murthy, the sabha's president and a IPS officer who retired as the head of the Karnataka Police. "We would like to host Hindustani greats but just do not have the money now to foot the bill so we settle for jugalbandhis."

The sabha needed to raise over sixty lakhs of rupees for the auditorium. And in the founder-trustee, the late A. Alagappan, a industrialist of Coimbatore, they found a leader who lead the effort to seek donations from many Bangaloreans. And they got the best professionals to construct and fit the auditorium to make it one of the best in this city.

The sabha holds a short festival of music and dance in February, paying tributes to the composers, Thiagaraja and Purandaradasa. "We plan to make this a bigger festival in the years to come," says Murthy.

His colleague and sabha vice-president, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, an aerospace scientist, now an advisor to the Prez on science and technology, is focusssed on taking forward Dr. Kalamıs suggestion.

And he has two points on the agenda. One - to highlight the science behind Carnatic music and two, research and present the therapeutic effects that music and dance can have on 'challenged' children.

He is talking to Sri Venkateswara University and to ECIL, Hyderabad, to further this agenda. The sabha also wants to bring a scientific plan to the teaching and understanding of Carnatic music. There is more that this sabha wants to do. Provide a platform to the wave of young Karnataka- based artistes who are seeking opportunities.

It needs the money for such promotions. So Murthy is hoping that Bangalore's business houses will hire the hall for meetings, AGMs and training courses which will bring the sabha the kind of money that can sustain kutcheris by the young as well as the famous.

Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha is at 808, 7th Main 1st Cross, HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560 008. Ph.: 080-2526 5767.