Copyright thehindu
If you think that Rajkumar’s “Huttidare Kannada Nadale Huttabeku...” cannot quite belong in a Bengaluru pub or club, it only means that you are not familiar with the changing music scene in at least some parts of the city. The city’s pubs, clubs and hotels, which were at one time only associated with pop, rock or Bollywood songs, are now more open to Kannada music, and DJs who play them are now not so uncommon. Hotels are organising concerts where Kannada music can be enjoyed with meals, with customers encouraged to sing along. While the traditional light music (Sugama Sangeetha) and orchestra cultures are past their hay day, places like hotel and clubs have woken up the fact that there is a clientele to be tapped with Kannada music. For example, Silaa, the Garden Cafe, in Malleswaram, organises live music concerts under various themes, such as Kannada retro jamming sessions, in two slots every evening. Huge response “There has been a huge response from the customers. There are two slots every day at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Only on weekends, we start at noon. We have hired local Kannada musicians and singers to conduct the music programmes,” said Sahana Sudhakar, owner of the cafe. There are multiple other places like Ibbani Cafe in RR Nagar, Sogadu in Rajaji Nagar, Bengaluru Adda and Baroo, both on New BEL Road, and, Jalsa in RT Nagar which offer Kannada music. Ranjan, a techie from Rajajinagar, describes how this trend is catching up everywhere. “Every Wednesday, there is a live programme of Kannada songs titled ‘Kannada Muthugalu’ at Pegs N Bottles on Church Street. A large number of Kannadigas, besides young people from other States, flock to listen.” DJ Nutan, an engineering graduate-turned DJ, recalls a time when nothing except English pop and Bollywood music was acceptable in these spaces. “I became a DJ in 2013, and back then there was no place for Kannada songs in the clubbing culture in Bengaluru. But I began DJing in Kannada in 2016. So far, I have done more than 500 shows, including in Bengaluru, Goa and other States. I have my own followers,” he says. “Initially club owners were sceptical whether crowds would come. However, people flocked to our first event called ‘Kannada vibes’ and it has caught on.” Public concerts Meanwhile, there are also young groups trying to spread Kannada music in public spaces. Among them is Swarapana, formed by the students of Sharada Vilas College in Mysuru, started by Sagar Simha and his friends. With increasing demand, the concerts have spread to Bengaluru too, said Mona, a team member. They are open jamming sessions in which people of all ages can participate. “We sing mostly old Kannada songs. We provide handwritten lyrics to the participants. Everyone joins us in singing,” she said.
