Cheers to culture

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the ambitious Dance Museum at Guru Gopinath Natanagramam set to open its doors by the end of 2012, the fund allocation in the 2012-13 State budget has come as a shot in the arm. The museum, expected to act as a global centre of dance on completion, is coming up on the premises of the Natanagramam in Kuruvikkadu near Vattiyoorkavu, and is dedicated to the memory of dance exponent Guru Gopinath. “The allocation of a sum of Rs 10 lakhs is encouraging and we are expecting clearance for the Rs three lakhs proposal that we submitted,” said Natanagramam Secretary V S Pramodh. “The central government grant for the project is ` two lakhs and we have requested the State government to provide a matching share and an additional one lakh for infrastructure,” he said. The structure of the museum is nearing completion and work is on to finish other infrastructure details such as the galleries, amphi theatre and digital library in time for the proposed deadline. The digital library will be equipped with state-of the-art facilities including touch-screen search options and exhaustive research materials. “Apart from information on various dance forms, the library and research centre will be equipped to provide exhaustive details on architecture, social setting and other aspects in art history,” he said. The 5D theatre coming up at the dance museum is designed to give the audience a complete sensory involvement in the art form being presented on stage. The theatre, which can simulate perceptions of smell, sound and touch, is only the second such facility to come up in the State. The vast campus will also have residential complexes for the convenience of researchers from other states and abroad, added Manager Rajan S K. Tagore Theatre at Vazhuthacaud, one of the capital city’s best-loved cultural venue, has also received a 7.5 crore outlay in the budget for the completion of its long-pending renovation work. The sprawling 10.5 acre campus is being redesigned to accommodate an additional built up area of 7,000 sq ft. A whopping second phase of the project is awaiting ratification from the central finance ministry, said a PRD official. The work is due to be completed in 18 months.