A tour around Bangalore's ethnic scene
Captain Shekar came up with a novel idea to showcase the city's true culture and
tradition. He started Maharaja Tours to target predominantly the Western audience.
The tour revolves in and around Malleswaram, the cultural epicentre of Bangalore.
The package includes vegetarian dinner, a tour guide and to make sure you don't
feel stuffy your drive is cool and comfy in a air-conditioned transport. The
tour begins at Hotel Ashok from where the tourists are taken to `Tarangini International'.
Tarangini International is an art foundation nestled among trees, cut away from
the hub-bub of the city. It was established as a textile printing
unit in 1977 specialising in hand block printing with chemical and natural dyes.
The Advisory Council for Women's advancement was formed by a group of women to
revive traditional art and to support women in need of vocational guidance and
assistance in 1986.
Tanjore paintings embossed on gold leaves will leave you spell bound. Here the
women also demonstrate Kalamkari, a traditional painting style using vegetable dyes.
You can also try your hand in pottery and mehendi. Actually this is just not an
innovative tour but a platform is provided for the artists to exhibit their works.
All facilities are provided to artists and craftsman to conduct classes here.
Usually the foreigners pick up small tokens from the sales outlet `Janani', which
is run by a group of women. Tarangini helps the artists to display their works.
The display encompass a wide range of jewellery cases (made out of terracota,leather and wood),
gift wrappers, traditional corai, small wooden buttons, gift scrolls, Tanjore paintings,
cotton suits, silk scarves and hand-made paper mats.
There is a total change in the scene from art to music. To help the tourists to unwind they are led into the drawing room of Dr Suma Sudhindra, noted veena player. She starts with explaining how Veena was evolved and also briefs her visitors about the process of tampering and ageing of the wood, so that the sound in just right. Hence the visitors get a chance to interact on a one-to-one basis with artists which is infact one of the aims of the tour. For a break from sound and sight, the tourists can attend a lecture-demonstration by a yoga expert followed by a Bharatanatyam performance.
This is not all. The tourists are taken to a traditional Indian home where one get's to eat the food (strictly vegetarain) on a plantain leaf. In case the tourists are eager to enhance their knowledge about the traditions and customs of India, the hosts are ever ready to share their knowledge from bindis to sarees to plantain leaf. This tour is just not meant for the foreigners but also for those Indians who are not aware of our rich cultural heritage. This tour will definitely be an eye-opener to them.
(Source The Indian Express)
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