Kala Coast

KALA COAST GLOBAL MUSIC & ARTS VILLAGE: Celebrating the diversity of musical and artistic values around the globe

The vibrant district of Udupi in the costal Karnataka belt, known for its rich cultural heritage, and the people of this region known for their matchless taste and passion for music and fine arts, qualifying them as 'Rasikas', would soon be privileged of adding yet another feather to their cap, which they may boast of, in the days to come.

A land spread over 5 acres on the road leading to Aladaka from Guddeyangadi at Karje near Bramhavar has been chosen to construct KALA COAST, a Global Music & Arts Village, to celebrate the diversity of musical and artistic traditions in India and the rest of the world over the forthcoming years.

Kala Coast is the brain child of internationally renowned Harmonium player and composer Sudhir Nayak of Mumbai, having his ancestral background in Kota and Hungarcutta, who, along with some well known musicians and art lovers has conceived this project. His maternal uncle Vaidappa Manjunath Padiyar, a forthright entrepreneur hailing from Uppinakote, now settled in Mumbai, had bought this piece of land at Karje, which inspired Sudhir to surge ahead in his endeavour of developing an environment conducive for nurturing music and arts on this land, blessed bountifully by nature.

Sudhir, having wide experience in organising and coordinating musical events and festivals nationally and internationally for the past few years, was also one of the chief coordinators for 'BaajaaGaajaa: Music from the 21st Century' which was an international music festival organised in Pune along with acclaimed musician duo Shubha Mudgal & Dr. Aneesh Pradhan. Sudhir along with his wife Bharati and a few more music aficionados heads a music circle named Village Music Club in Thakur Village, Kandivali- Mumbai and has also been instrumental in getting artistes for organisations and events like Sangeet Sabha, Udupi, Sangeeth Bharati, Mangalore, Shastreeya Sangeeth Sabha, Karkala, Kalashree Sur Sangeet, Udupi, Alaap-Shimoga, Karavali Utsav, Manipal University and for many other institutions in Costal Karnataka, which is why many of these organisations have offered unconditional support to the activities of Kala Coast. He also attributes his motivation behind the concept to people like Vijaynath Shenoy, the creator of Heritage Village in Manipal, who have immensely contributed to spreading and preserving the sanctity of music, arts, culture and heritage in the costal Karnataka region.

Other prominent members in the project include Uday Malya, Raghavendra Mallya, T. Ranga Pai, Bharati Nayak, Subhash Mallya, Damodar Mallya, Satish Prabhu and Prakash Kamath, who, apart from being widely experienced in their respective professional fields have joined this mission of promoting the project, following their passion for music, arts and their cultural involvement in the society.

The exclusive space provided for over a hundred reputed musicians and artists from the length and the breadth of the country to reside in the Artists Township to be built in the form of bungalows and studio apartments, forms a major part of Kala Coast. A Residential Gurukul where music and fine arts would be taught by reputed musicians and artists invited from all over India to form the faculty at Kala coast, happens to be one of the vital projects to be undertaken by its administrators. A dedicated Arts Library and Archival Gallery would be the centre of attention for students and researchers involved and passionate about knowing more about the arts. An Open Stage & Amphitheatre would regularly host musical, theatrical and other events related to Performing Arts. Musicians can avail of the modern and sophisticated audio recording facilities at The Recording Studio in its premises. Kala Coast would also encompass of galleries showcasing the making and development of different musical instruments and also display antique and contemporary models of some of these instruments. In addition to this there would be a venue for sale of musical instruments, handicrafts and artefacts by skilled artisans and craftsmen from all over the country.

In a nutshell, the varied activities and facilities at Kala Coast would certainly go a long way in benefitting the music and art lovers, organisers, students, researchers and all those associated with music and art in the costal Karnataka region at large and so also from other parts of the world.

Speaking of an age where on the one hand scientific and technological development is at its peak in India, on the other, we need to reassess the cultural milieu in India today which leaves us very less breathing space for nurturing our rich cultural heritage and diversity of music and art forms. Witnessing the growing complexity in modern human life due to rapid globalization, it is high time we realize the significance of our unique musical, artistic, traditional, cultural and spiritual values which have been inherited by us through generations which go a long way in shaping and enriching our lives considerably. We need to behold the composite culture that exists in India since centuries, for which our country is known to the rest of the world, from a fresh perspective.

Kala Coast is an attempt to realize these objectives and an endeavor to bring together all those engaged in practicing music and allied art forms from the cross section of the society, together on one platform, to present, practice, perform, profess, discuss, interact, collaborate and exchange their skills, while experiencing the subtle process of music making and allied art forms in all splendour.

One of the most important attempts that Kala Coast desires to make is to juxtapose pedagogical practices with music and arts, furthering a holistic approach to education in the real sense, which would eventually aid in developing the subtlest sensitivities of the human mind.

Kala Coast aims to creating a musically, artistically and culturally vibrant ambience making this place a hub of such activities within a span of five years with inputs and help from eminent artistes, musicians and well wishers. The enterprise of constructing Kala Coast would go a long way in benefitting artistes and students of arts along with the innumerable aficionados of music and arts in the culturally vibrant belt of Costal Karnataka, gradually attracting national and international mileage for Indian music, arts and culture.








PROPOSED STRUCTURES

Artistes’ Village- residential plots owned by artistes
Studio Apartments for artistes and guests of Kala Coast
Open Stage with Green rooms
Audio- Visual Recording Studio
Music & Fine Arts Training Academy in the form of a residential Gurukul
Multipurpose Hall
Mini Theatre & Auditorium
Mini Market for Amenities & Provisions
Yoga & Meditation Centre
Arts Library & Archival Gallery
Arts Museum
Venue for exhibition and sale of Musical Instuments and artifacts
Centrium- ‘Katte’
Common Restrooms & Toilets
Walking and Jogging Track
Garden
Children’s Play Area
Swimming Pool & Gymnasium
Well
Restaurant
Watchmens’ Shed
Office Room
Parking Lot

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
- Organising Events related to Music and Fine Arts in the form of Festivals, Workshops, Seminars, Demonstrations and Arts Education Programmes
- Opening a Music & Arts Club attracting Membership & Subscriptions
- Designing Music & Fine Arts training programmes
- Conducting Yoga and Meditation Camps for physical & spiritual health
- Renting out Common Spaces and Multipurpose Hall for Cultural Events, Seminars, Expos, Meetings, Discussions and Family functions
- Maintaining Archives and Arts Library
- Designing special rejuvenation programmes for corporates and other strata of society
- Initiating Arts Research & Orientation programmes
- Devising interactive games and programmes for children


www.kalacoast.com




Kala Coast Music Festival 2015: A bonanza for music and art connoisseurs

The Kala Coast project plans to open up with a bang by organising the KALA COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015 on Saturday, 31st January 2015 and Sunday, 1st Feb 2015 as the inaugural ceremony for this unique venture.

One of the major attractions at the festival would be a troupe from Alandi led by Avadhoot Gandhi which is known to be one of the foremost groups in Maharastra as far as the folk musical forms in the Abhang and Bhaktigeet tradition of Maharashtra is concerned. Having participated in major Sufi and devotional music festivals in India and abroad, Udupi would be privileged of hosting these talented young musicians for the first time. Local Bhajan Mandalis have eagerly come forward to support this event in large numbers.

The Yakshagana Pupetters led by Bhaskar Kogga Kamath of Uppinakudre are already set to regale the young and old alike with their inimitable presentation.

Bhagwat Keertan by Pavan Bhat, Dhrupad- Dhamar recital by Chintan Upadhyay, Jaltarang by Siddhesh Bicholkar, Tabla Jugalbandi by Siddharth Padiyar and Dhaivat Mehta, Sitar by Sahana Banerjee, Bhavgeet, Bhaktigeet, an informal baithaks of the Mandolin Lovers’ Club, Harmonium solo by child prodigy Unmesh Khaire and many more attractions to offer, make the festival a treat for connoisseurs of music.

Another distinctive characteristic of the festival is a Hindustani Khayal performance by Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, one of the doyens of Indian Raagdari sangeet today, who would also be felicitated for completion of 60 years on this occasion.

Master craftsmen, musical instrument makers, potters and handicraft artists would be exhibiting their skills at different venues provided for them.

In addition to this, the festival would feature over a hundred performers who have been invited to perform on the occasion and would be concluded by Dr. Shivaram Karanth’s Yakshagana Ballet as homage to the maestro’s contribution to the field.