Cultural hub to be sacrificed for shopping complex

Students from all over the state come to the Ken School of Art

By Tej Sapru

BANGALORE (Sept. 8)—The city corporation intends to level the Ken School of Art in order to build a shopping complex, and two neighboring public amenities are also under threat.

“For the past two years, officials have been trying to force us to leave,” said Umesh, principal of the Ken School of Art, which is a popular forum for Karnataka artists.

Umesh has received notices from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike demanding he vacate the plot that the school rents from the government.

Though the notices only mention the Ken School, Umesh believes Seshadripuram Market and Seshadripuram Swimming Pool will also come under the ax.

Seshadripuram Market said targeted

Vendors at Seshadripuram Market are of the same opinion.

Seshadripuram Market has not had any regular maintenance

“There is no electricity, no water, the roof leaks, and no maintenance has been done though I have complained many times,” said C.K. Somprakash, a vendor at Seshadripuram Market.

He believes that authorities are not maintaining the 60-year-old building because they intend to demolish it.

Last week, an article in the New Indian Express quoted Bangalore Development Authority Consultant Prashant Suryanarayan as saying Seshadripuram Market will be razed.

“We have been asked to demolish it and come up with a new structure,” Suryanarayan was quoted as saying. “It will be a market-cum-commercial complex.”

But Suryanarayan told The Softcopy he was misquoted and that he will file a lawsuit against the New Indian Express.

“That article has caused a lot of trouble for me,” said Suryanarayan, who refused to confirm that he works for the BDA.

Despite Suryanarayan’s changed stance, a statement from another BDA official supports at least one aspect of the original quote.

“We are going to demolish the entire building,” said Krishnappa, an executive engineer for the BDA.

Seshadripuram Swimming Pool next domino to fall?

Seshadripuram Swimming Pool has been a source of pleasure for locals since it opened in 1973, but for the past 12 years it has been in a partially demolished state.

“They are going to build an island building on the property,” said Raju, a caretaker at the pool. To illustrate what he meant by “island building” he pointed to a modern multistory structure nearby.

On April 11, Corporator S. Nataraj and MLA D. Gundurao, publicly stated that they had fast-tracked a proposal to rebuild and modernize the swimming pool.

“Rumors of a complex being built are 100 percent false,” Nataraj said.

Gundurao said the renewal plans had been drawn up and that construction of the new pool would start soon.

But Venkatesh, the executive engineer in charge of the swimming pool project, said there was no definitive plan in place.

Residents prepared to fight

The Ken School and its famous founder, R.M. Hadapad, have been in the news many times over the years

The Ken School of Art was created by renowned artist R.M. Hadapad in 1968. In the 43 years of its existence it has nurtured several successful artists.

An average day at the school might feature an eclectic collection of artists who use the campus as a forum to meet and interact with each other.

Umesh insisted that he will not leave until the BBMP can provide him with a property of equal value.

Vendors at the marketsay they will not leave, and even if a new building is constructed, they want to continue selling in the new structure.

“If this goes what will I do?” Somprakash said. “This is all I know.”