Kamani Auditorium

Kamani Auditorium
Address1, Copernicus Marg
LocationMandi House, New Delhi, India [1]
OwnerBharatiya Kala Kendra Trust
OperatorBharatiya Kala Kendra Trust
Capacity632
TypePerforming arts venue
Construction
Opened1971 [2]
Website
kamaniauditorium.org

Kamani Auditorium is a performing arts venue in the Mandi House cultural district of New Delhi, India. Opened in 1971, it is owned and operated by the Bharatiya Kala Kendra Trust and forms part of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra complex.[3] Besides the main proscenium theatre, it also houses a smaller Jhankar Hall and an open-air arena. It is used for theatre, Indian classical dance and music, as well as national and international cultural productions, and has over the decades developed into a cultural landmark of Delhi.[4][5]

History

A Bharatanatyam dance at Kamani Auditorium
“Valedictory Ceremony of Bharat Rang Mahotsav” with Ratan Thiyam, organised by the National School of Drama, 2016

The auditorium developed as part of the expansion plan of the adjacent Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, which had been founded by Sumitra Charat Ram in 1952.[3] The stage lighting was designed by noted lighting designer Tapas Sen. [6] The auditorium was inaugurated in August 1971 by the then President of India, V. V. Giri.[7], with the inaugural presentation of Gita Govinda in Odissi dance stle was choreographed by Mayadhar Raut, who then headed the Odissi department at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra.[8][9]

The auditorium quickly became an important venue for classical music and dance in Delhi. When the first ITC Sangeet Sammelan held at Vigyan Bhavan in 1971, Ustad Bismillah Khan, objected to the lack of intimacy in the seating arrangement, as a result the annual festival was shifted to Kamani Auditorium in the following year.[10] A landmark production of Habib Tanvir's Charandas Chor by Naya Theatre took place at Kamani in 1975.[11]

Over the years, it has been venue for performances by Birju Maharaj, Zakir Hussain, Raja and Radha Reddy, Kelucharan Mohapatra,[4] Chandralekha, Daksha Sheth, Maya Krishna Rao (1994)[12] also productions by Sonal Mansingh. [13]

Cultural significance

Kamani Auditorium is one of the principal performance venues of Delhi's Mandi House cultural district, besides Little Theatre Group Auditorium and Shri Ram Centre, which also includes several major cultural institutions, including the National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi and Triveni Kala Sangam.[14][15]

It has been a regular venue for major theatre festivals and cultural programmes in Delhi. The National School of Drama has repeatedly used the auditorium for its annual Bharat Rang Mahotsav, with inaugural and closing ceremonies of the festival along with many festival performances.[16][17][18][19] In 2020, Ratan Thiyam's Lairembigee Eshei (The Song of the Nymphs) was performed closing production of the 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav.[20]It has additionally been used for the "Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards" and associated performances.[21]

The auditorium has also hosted international theatre and performances of Indian classical music and dance.[22] Over the decades, it has hosted cultural-exchange perforamances oragnized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) with countries including Mauritius, South Africa, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Bulgaria, China, Italy and Egypt.[23][24] In 2011, productions of Dara and Bullha by Lahore-based Ajoka Theatre were staged at Kamani Auditorium as part of an India–Pakistan cultural programme.[25] The The auditorium continues to be used for major classical dance and music programmes, theatre productions and cultural festivals organised by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and other institutions.[26]

Transport

The nearest Delhi Metro station is Mandi House, served by the Blue Line and Violet Line.[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Our Auditorium". Kamani Auditorium. Bharatiya Kala Kendra Trust. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Our History". Kamani Auditorium. Bharatiya Kala Kendra Trust. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Facilities". Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "The art effect". India Today. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Nath, Dipanita (19 April 2026). "Ramayana to Mahabharata: The rise of epic theatre in India". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Menon, Sadanand (20 Aug 2006). "Tribute: True to his own light". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Khurana, Suanshu (25 February 2025). "Guru Mayadhar Raut, Odissi exponent who helped codify the artform, passes away at 94". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "In Conversation with Guru Mayadhar Raut: Odissi". Sahapedia. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Khokar, Ashish Mohan. "Guru Aloka Panikar: Orissi Odyssey". Narthaki. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Of Pandits, Ustads and Scotch". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Luthra, Neelima (2022). "The Honest Thief: Breaking Dalit/Adivasi Silences in Habib Tanvir's Charandas Chor (1974)". Indian Literature. 66 (6 (332)). Sahitya Akademi: 132.
  12. ↑ "Dance: Cerebral dancers captivate audiences at Kamani Auditorium in Delhi". India Today. 15 April 1994. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Draupadi by Sonal Mansingh at Kamani Auditorium, Delhi". India Today. 31 May 1994. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Building Blocks: Art at Home". The Indian Express. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Nath, Dipanita (23 July 2015). "A factory, a warehouse, a basement: Check out Delhi theatre's unconventional venues". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "About 20th Bharat Rang Mahotsav". 20th Bharat Rang Mahotsav. National School of Drama. 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Curtains go up on NSD theatre festival". The Times of India. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Stage season". Hindustan Times. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Nandwana, Gargi (15 February 2023). "Curtains go up on Bharat Rang Mahotsav; inaugural Bengali play 'Jagannath' steals the show". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  20. ↑ Nath, Dipanita (1 March 2020). "How Ratan Thiyam brought Manipur onto the global stage". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  21. ↑ Pundir, Pallavi (10 March 2012). "Winning Streaks at Play". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Thumri festival: Of bhaav, bandish, and much more". Hindustan Times. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Programmes Newsletter – August". Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Programmes Newsletter – October–December 1999". Indian Council for Cultural Relations. 1999. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Khare, Shivani (2 June 2011). "The Prince and the Philosopher". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Events". Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "HT City Delhi Junction: Catch It Live on 26 August 2025". Hindustan Times. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
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