 Lord Shanmukha - Our Presiding Deity
The Lord of six abodes, the protecting deity of the Sabha had His seventh abode, ever since Shanmukhananda Sabha was formed in 1944. As the Temple of Music came into being on 22nd August, 1963, a Sanctum was constructed for the Lord. On 5th June, 1966, the artistic abode of Nadabrahman was consecrated with full religious fervor. The photo frame, which used to be kept before the members, during monthly concerts and annual festivals, now from its sanctum, radiates the blessings of the Lord, to all patrons of the fine arts.
The six heads of the Lord, arranged within a Shadakona tradition, three at the rear, weapons held according to Dhyanasloka and Kumara Tantra, was sculpted by Shri. L. Somanatha Sthapathi, Tiruchirapalli, under the guidance of Shri. Ganapathi Sthapathi, Head of the School of Sculpture, Government of Madras. The statue was unveiled by Shri. V. P. Naik, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, on 3rd June, 1970.
The Journey begins
Work started : January 1960
Work completed : March 1963
Inaugurated : 22-08-1963
Contractors : M/s Shapoorji Pallonji & Co.
Hon. Architect : B. V. S. Iyengar
Air conditioning : Blue Star Engineering Co.
Western India Engineering Co.
Electrical : R. B. Munshi
They made the Sabha Hall
M.S. Bars – 328 tons
Cement – 1373 tons (27, 450 bags)
How the Temple of Music emerged
Foundation & Plinth
Excavation: 65822 cft.
Filling: 39072 cft.
Masonry: 224 cft & 71244 cft
Air conditioning: 275 ton Worthington Hermatic Centrifugal Chiller
The Trinity of Institution Builders
  
The Land Hunt
Shri. Mangaldas Varma was allotted 6300 sq. yards of land
at plot 292 (East) Scheme No. 6, Matunga Estate to build a Girls’ School.
The plot was mortgaged to Reserve Bank of India. Unable to implement the project, Shri. Varma, with the consent of the Corporation transferred the land on 999 years lease to the Sabha, Shri. Varma also sold to the Sabha 350 sq. yards of free-hold land @ Rs. 24 per sq. yard. Later, 1567 sq. yards was parceled out and transferred by the Sabha to Shri. A. S. Motwani as the subject land was in excess of the Sabha’s requirement and financial capacity.
The land now in possession of the Sabha is:
On 999 years lease – 4492 sq. yards
On freehold – 350 sq. yards
Total – 4842 sq. yards
The Sabha took possession of the land in October 1954. From December 1954, all monthly concerts and annual music festivals were held in the Sabha grounds, till December 1959.
The Foundation Stone of the proposed hall was laid on 26th January 1958 by Shri. S. K. Patil, Union Minister for Food and Agriculture. The construction work commenced in January 1960 and the hall was inaugurated on 22nd August, 1963.
No. of Programmes held in the Sabha |
| |
Outside Programmes |
Sabha Programmes |
Cultural |
Films |
Cultural |
Films |
| 1964-1965 |
218 |
- |
47 |
- |
| 1965-1966 |
201 |
- |
45 |
- |
| 1966-1967 |
243 |
- |
48 |
- |
| 1967-1968 |
212 |
- |
45 |
- |
| 1968-1969 |
201 |
- |
58 |
- |
| 1969-1970 |
258 |
32 |
38 |
- |
| 1970-1971 |
229 |
6 |
51 |
2 |
| 1971-1972 |
299 |
8 |
48 |
5 |
| 1972-1973 |
274 |
5 |
58 |
6 |
| 1973-1974 |
368 |
3 |
42 |
4 |
| 1974-1975 |
383 |
7 |
45 |
2 |
| 1975-1976 |
356 |
12 |
42 |
4 |
| 1976-1977 |
370 |
15 |
43 |
4 |
| 1977-1978 |
384 |
14 |
49 |
4 |
| 1978-1979 |
405 |
11 |
49 |
4 |
| 1979-1980 |
430 |
4 |
51 |
3 |
| 1980-1981 |
525 |
7 |
42 |
5 |
| 1981-1982 |
514 |
10 |
41 |
4 |
| 1982-1983 |
575 |
- |
44 |
- |
| 1983-1984 |
386 |
- |
46 |
- |
| 1984-1985 |
438 |
- |
50 |
- |
| 1985-1986 |
427 |
- |
45 |
- |
| 1986-1987 |
453 |
- |
36 |
- |
| 1987-1988 |
346 |
- |
36 |
- |
| 1988-1989 |
355 |
- |
38 |
- |
| 1989-1990 |
414 |
- |
42 |
- |
(Devastating fire reduced the Auditorium to ashes on
28th February 1990.
Sabha hall re-opened on 01.11.1998) |
| 1998-1999 |
113 |
- |
7 |
- |
| 1999-2000 |
190 |
- |
21 |
- |
| 2000-2001 |
192 |
- |
23 |
2 |
| 2001-2002 |
206 |
- |
25 |
- |
| 2002-2003 |
232 |
- |
60 |
- |
| 2003-2004 |
313 |
- |
41 |
- |
| 2004-2005 |
257 |
- |
38 |
- |
| 2005-2006 |
288 |
- |
34 |
- |
| 2006-2007 |
313 |
- |
43 |
- |
| 2007-2008 |
350 |
- |
39 |
- |
| 2008-2009 |
317 |
- |
51 |
- |
| 2009-2010 |
258 |
- |
50 |
- |
| 2010-2011 |
267 |
- |
42 |
- |
| 2011-2012 |
254 |
- |
36 |
- |
TOTAL |
12814 |
134 |
1689 |
49 |
| |
Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha
was established in 1952, with the main objective of promoting Fine Arts in the city of then Bombay. Today, the objective has expanded to include providing a platform to budding artistes, to showcase their talents, impart training in various fields of Fine Arts to aspiring students, providing affordable health care in certain critical areas to the vulnerable sections of society and promote national integration through its various activities.
The Sabha Auditorium, which has a capacity of 2763, has been and continues to be the venue for some of the finest cultural events and programs in the field of performing arts. Distinguished personalities who have performed in the Sabha include Bharat Ratna Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, M. L. Vasanthakumari, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussian, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Kishori Amonker, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, S. P. Balasubramaniam, Zubin Mehta, to name a few. Almost all the current artists have performances to their credit in the Sabha, at one time or the other. The Sabha has also been visited by various political leaders including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Lal Krishna Advani.
The Sabha auditorium was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1990. It has long been resurrected, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, thanks to the untiring efforts of Sabha members and help from the state government and various philanthropic agencies.
The Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium is one of the finest examples of structural engineering and architectural aesthetics working in perfect unison, to synthesise and recreate the moods, melodies and drama of the performing artistes. The arrangements offer the perfect platform for music concerts, entertainment programs, dramas, marketing meets, business seminars, conferences and film screenings.
The auditorium has been designed on three tiers with spacious foyers to cater to large crowds.
The Bharatiya Music & Arts Society (Regd.) was merged
into the Sabha in 2005. The Shanmukhananda Bharatiya Sangeetha Vidyalaya building has state-of-the-art facilities at its building at Bhaudaji Road Extension, Sion West,
Mumbai.
The Sabha’s Music School teaches students in various fields
of classical music and instruments.
The Sabha’s Medical Centre caters to the needs of the general public for treatment for Dialysis, Eye Care and General Medicine.
Can you believe ?
The All India Congress Committee held its session in the Sabha in 1963.
The Worthington Centrifugal System for air conditioning was
not yet commissioned. 4000 delegates were to enjoy an air
cool enviro, as they participated in the session and listened
to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Blue Star Engineering turned to
ice-cooling to provide relief. Truck loads of ice block were
dumped into the water tank every hour to chill the water
which then cooled the air in the packed auditorium.
Never in the history of air conditioning has a building been
cooled by ice !
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