Chowdiah Memorial Hall and its timeless appeal

Bengaluru is a metropolis that has advanced with time, and but, a side that is still fixed is its vibrant cultural scene. One landmark that stands tall as a beacon of artwork, tradition and music is Chowdiah Memorial Hall (CMH) in Malleshwaram. A constructing whose iconic structure was and nonetheless is, manner forward of its time, CMH was designed over 50 years in the past. This violin-shaped edifice was constructed as a tribute to violinist of renown Tirumakudalu Chowdiah and remains to be thought-about to be one of many best examples of mimetic structure on this planet.

Pioneering design

It was music aficionado KK Murthy, former chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the primary President of the town’s Academy of Music, who got here up with the concept of constructing a memorial to Pitil Chowdiah (Pitil is Kannada for violin) as Tirumakudalu Chowdiah was affectionately known as.

Chowdiah performed a seven-stringed violin as a substitute of the normal four-stringed one. Murthy approached a well-known Bengaluru architect, Siddalaghatta Narasimha Moorthy (or SN Moorthy as he was popularly known as) to design and construct the construction.

“My father was already well known in the city, having designed several theatres such as Kaveri and Abhinay, factories like the Bangalore Breweries Factory and the Modern Bakery in Peenya as well as residences of famous personalities such as AV Meiyappan Chettiar of AVM Productions and Hinduja House in Sadashivnagar,” says NM Spoorthy, architect and son of SN Moorthy. “It was he who proposed building the structure in the shape of a seven-stringed violin as an ultimate ode to the maestro.”

Spoorthy provides that the sheer dimension and scale of the construction stays the spotlight of the auditorium contemplating it was envisaged over 50 years in the past. The building of CMH began after the muse stone was laid by the then-President of India VV Giri and D Devraj Urs, the then chief-minister of Karnataka in 1974.

“It was the only auditorium in the country with a 1,100 seating capacity specifically designed to host cultural events in the 1980s. My father was a stickler for perfection and detail, and daily carried a violin to the site to ensure every curve and line was perfectly replicated. The building is scaled on an actual violin in the ratio of 1:100,” says Spoorthy.

Moorthy was identified for spearheading progressive concepts reminiscent of putting in the town’s first escalator at Abhinay Theatre, introducing ergonomics in design and giving prominence to inexperienced areas and landscaping. When it got here to CMH, he launched a number of nuances into the design.

An in depth view of the bow on Chowdiah Memorial Hall. Photo MURALI KUMAR Okay / The Hindu #ShotonOneplus

“The Plaster of Paris ceiling in the common areas have musical notes that were in keeping with the ethos of the building. He also introduced water bodies at the plinth level to give the structure a surreal, floating visual effect from vantage points. While designing the seating, he was particular that there should be enough leg room for the audience to sit comfortably while enjoying the music,” says Spoorthy.

Challenges galore

Given its complicated form, a number of challenges cropped up through the constructing part. “The main issue was designing the bow and it was fabricated in mild steel on the site itself; it is a massive 140 feet in length. Introducing seven strings on to the structure was another task and my father would not hesitate to bring it down and rebuild it if he was not satisfied with the finish,” provides Spoorthy.

The seven strings had been crafted out of heavy gauge and had been procured from the primary KEB workplace to make sure it didn’t rust or warp as a result of vagaries of the climate.

Unfading recollections

This mega undertaking was a memorable one even for SN Moorthy’s spouse, CT Lalitha Moorthy, who dealt with the executive works of her husband’s workplace. “It took hundreds of drawings before CMH came to life. During those days we used natural sunlight and ammonia to get blue prints. But we had to be really watchful to avoid over exposure or under exposure. Many a time I have burnt my fingers using the ammonia,” recollects the octogenarian.

The making of Chowdiah Memorial Hall
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Special Arrangement

She fondly remembers accompanying Moorthy to Binny Mills to buy curtains for the corridor. “He chose Spanish gold and navy blue satin material and they were stitched on my sewing machine at our Kumara Park home. But soon the fabric became too voluminous and we had to move it to the site itself,” says the 87-year outdated who recollects how the 3D mannequin of CMH designed for the inauguration was delivered to the positioning atop a taxi.

CMH was inaugurated in 1980 by the then Governor of Karnataka, Govind Narain. Since then, it has staged a number of eminent performers reminiscent of ML Vasantha Kumari, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, L Subramaniam, Girish Karnad, Hema Malini, SP Balasubramaniam and quite a few international artistes. Given its floor breaking design, CMH is a superb case examine that holds key classes for a lot of architects right now.

“The acoustics of the auditorium are among the best even today and the design offers invaluable lessons that extend far beyond academics and text books,” says Shilpa Spoorthy, architect and spouse of NM Spoorthy.