The other side of Gayatri Krishna: From being a corporate crusader to performing arts

BENGALURU: Gayathri Krishna's performing arts platform organises shows at affordable prices Gayathri Krishna's Rs 25,000 donation to help build the Ranga Shankara theatre contributed a mere fraction to the expenses. But that random act of patronage more than a decade ago proved transformational, helping Krishna evolve from a corporate warrior into a crusader for the performing arts.

Krishna, partner at IBM, has been one of the main functionaries at Ranga Shankara ever since, an association that eventually led to her launching a somewhat similar perfor ming arts platfor m called Bhoomija. The Bengaluru-based trust, started in 2013, champions the cause of Indian classical music and dance by organising concerts and shows at affordable ticket prices.




“The real-time feel of performing arts excites me,“ says Krishna, 47.“It's easy to work hard and become a software professional or a doctor. But for an artiste, the pursuit for excellence starts at childhood. What are we doing as a nation to showcase this excellence?“ Bhoomija has organised shows by artistes including Bombay Jayashri, Roysten Abel, Abhishek Raghuram and Muktiyar Ali as well as theatre productions with Rajat Kapoor and Sunil Shanbag. Next is a concert with folk musicians from the villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan paying an ode to poet Kabirdas on May 21 at the MLR Convention Centre. Bhoomija has also taken Indian music and dance to global venues and festivals.

Among the highlights: Carnatic music concerts organised at the Opera House in Sydney and Carnegie Hall in New York and an Odissi dance performance at California Theatre.

To keep the initiative running, Krishna personally raises funds for Bhoomija and pitches in her own savings as well. “The annual budget allocated for Bhoomija is `1 crore. For the first two years, 60% of the support came from me,“ says Krishna.

Krishna's ambitions extend beyond Bhoomija, which will complete 100 shows in June. The Bengalurean aims to convert South Bengaluru into an entertainment district with performing arts centre like the Opera House in Sydney. “It will be called MS Performing Arts Centre, named after singer MS Subbulakshmi. I intend to launch it in September 2019,“ she says.

Ask her how she manages to straddle her busy boardroom life and her passion with the same zeal and she says, “I am a working mother and Bhoomija is my daughter.“