BIAF 2024: Celebrating Kumar Gandharva’s Karnataka connection

BIAF 2024 celebrates Kumar Gandharva’s Karnataka connection

This year, the Bengaluru International Arts Festival (BIAF) is celebrating their 16th edition spread over two weekends, from March 22 to 30. According to Veena Murthy Vijay, director of BIAF, the festival this year focuses on celebrating the birth centenary of classical singer Pandit Kumar Gandharva.

“Though he spent the greater part of his life in Madhya Pradesh, Kumar Gandharva was born in Dharwad and we are celebrating his Karnataka connection,” says Veena, adding, “We have curated the festival around that aspect, which is why there will be quite a few Hindustani concerts based on his compositions at this edition of BIAF.”

Ever since its inception, the theme of BIAF has been, “celebrating harmony through art, in a bid to build bridges between nations and peoples,” says Veena.

Suma Sudhindra, also a director at BIAF, wholeheartedly concurs, mentioning how international artistes from Netherlands, Germany, Italy and England had participated in a BIAF event in January this year.

Suma who will be seen presenting a jugalbandhi on the opening day with flautist Ronu Majumdar, says, “This year too, a tree-planting ceremony with college students will be part of our festivities.” This initiative to save the environment will see the participation of students from Sindhi College in Kempapura, MLA College in Malleshwaram and the NCC cadets from BHC College.

“A patch of land at Marasarahalli has slowly turn into a wooded area, as result of our efforts of planting trees there for the past 15 years as part of our Go Green Bangalore campaign,” adds Veena.

According to Veena, a segment titled Marma, based on different genres of bhakti music from all over India will be presented at the festival, which will also see a concert performance by vocalist Bhuvanesh Komkali, Pandit Gandharva’s grandson.