 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 Guiding Light of Community Healthcare
Dr. K. S. Varadachary
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
|
-
|
| 2012-2013
|
222
|
-
|
65
|
-
|
| 2013-2014
|
255
|
-
|
60
|
-
|
| 2014-2015
|
211
|
-
|
61
|
-
|
| 2015-2016
|
284
|
-
|
75
|
-
|
| 2016-2017
|
205
|
-
|
77
|
-
|
| 2017-2018
|
277
|
-
|
63
|
-
|
| 2018-2019
|
252
|
-
|
73
|
-
|
| 2019-2020
|
202
|
-
|
64
|
-
|
|
TOTAL
|
14722
|
114
|
2227
|
49
|
|
17112 programmes
|
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 Ratnas Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bismillah
Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, M. L.
Vasanthakumari, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Pandit Jasraj,
Ustad Zakir Hussian, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Kishori Amonkar, Asha Bhonsle, S.
P. Balasubramaniam, Zubin Mehta, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan to
name a few. Almost all the current artistes 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 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira
Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Lal
Krishna Advani.
The Sabha auditorium was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1990. It was
resurrected after 8 years of sustained efforts, 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 and
conferences.
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. This building has been redesigned and renovated to fit the
needs of a Healthcare Centre. The Sri Shanmukhananda Charitable Healthcare
Centre catering to Renal and Eye-Care became functional from the later half of 2020.
The Sabha’s Music School teaches students Carnatic and Hindustani classical music
and instruments including Bharata Natyam and Kathak.
The Sabha’s Music School Music School trains students in the following
fields:
• Carnatic Vocal
• Veena
• Violin
• Mrudangam
• Hindustani Vocal
• Sitar
• Tabla
• Harmonium
• Bharatanatyam
• Kathak
The Sabha’s Medical Centre caters to the
needs of the general public, especially from the lower economic strata of
society for treatment for Dialysis & Eye Care.
The Sri Shanmukhananda Charitable Healthcare Centre is one of the foremost and large hospital for renal care in
Maharashtra. It has 44 dialysis machines and can conduct 50,000 procedures per
year.
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!
|
