Ravindra Bharathi to get a make over

Hyderabad: Ravindra Bharathi, one of the city’s most popular destinations for art and cultural activities, will soon sport a fresh look. The ongoing renovation works on the iconic auditorium are expected to be completed by early May.

“After the first round of renovation works that were completed in March 2016 at a cost of Rs 3 crore, the auditorium is now being upgraded to cater to current needs at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore. These will be completed by early May,” said Mamidi Harikrishna, Director of Culture.

An expert committee set up to re-design the cultural edifice and to carry out necessary repairs had identified all the repairs and also put forward a proposal to shape the auditorium based on a ‘pearl in the oyster’ design.

“The pearl in the oyster design, an ultra-modern structure that will be in tune with the cultural and historical significance of the city is still on the cards but now the major renovation works of the auditorium are being done,” Harikrishna said.

While the green



rooms, toilets, broken tiles in the foyer, the sound system and screen in the conference hall were repaired and rear portion near the canteen for additional parking was cleared first, replacement of age-old AC units and generators, repairs in VIP rooms, painting works, acoustic controls and doors were done later.

“Major repairs have been completed. Only the preview theatre, which has not been in use for about 30 years now, has to be revamped so that we can use it for cinema previews. The plan is not just to do the repairs but also to enhance the quality of the auditorium and make it a world class facility,” the director said.

The seating in the conference hall is also set to be spruced up. The seating will be arranged in a way that the audience seated in the last row will also be at an elevation that will offer an unhindered view of the stage, he said.

Interestingly, though the repair works have been on for almost two years now, the programme schedule at the auditorium has never been disrupted, officials said.