Save Rang Bhavan

19 years ago a journey & experience called Independence Rock Began at a shrine called RANG BHAVAN. Many Rock Musicians of the day were upset that the Father at St. Xaviers College had outlawed Rock Concerts at Malhar (as he felt Rock was the Devils Music)! In defiance of the Xaviers Fathers Diktat right opposite the college at Rang Bhavan, Independence Rock was Born .

Thru the years 19 long years which were fun & always interesting, sometimes it was the Police, Sometimes Pramod Navalkar, sometimes the Censor Board and even some times Rival Promoters who tried to stop the Concert! However every year was interesting & somehow Independence Rock managed to prevail & carry on!

In November 2003 the Bombay Environmental Action Group represented by Ms. Sumera Abdulali filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court to enforce Silent Zones in 100 metres around Schools, Colleges, & Hospitals. This was aimed at stopping Ganpati Pandals & Navratri Celebrations; however the victims were Rang Bhavan, the Kala Ghoda Festival & the Banganga Festival. Ganpati & Navratri Pandals continued their Revelry and Rang Bhavan which for 50 years was the only viable Live Music venue in South Bombay fell silent, thanks to this bizarre law! The same State Government that tried to stop Rock Concerts at Rang Bhavan in the past sprang into action and filed a challenge which was denied by the Bombay HC. We could have all lived with this in the interest of a larger issue - Noise Pollution however the Bombay High Court wanted to hold a celebration to commemorate 125 years of their existence this JAN. They approached the Bombay Police for a Loudspeaker License which was denied to them by the DCP of that area citing their own silence zone notification as it would disturb Elphinstone College which was within 100 metres of the Court . Well The HC then went ahead and interpreted the law to suit their own convenience by ruling that an Institution Like a Court , School , College , Hospital can use Loudspeakers for their own use and be exempted from the Silent Zone rules ! Thus showing us all that there was one rule for musicians & lay people & another other rule for Courts! This modification means that the Malhar Festival held annually at St. Xaviers on the 12th , 13th , 14th & 15th of Aug can use Loudspeakers and disturb the facing Hospital from Morning to evening by playing Loud music , but Independence Rock held only on the 14th & 15th of Aug at Rang Bhavan from 6pm in the evening to 10pm cannot .

It also means that theoretically GT Hospital can have a Ganpati Pandal and use loudspeakers and disturb the College. This is absurd! If they succeed in shutting down Rang Bhavan permanently there are plans to turn it into a Parking Lot Or a MLA HOSTEL. This will be criminal and sad as the ONLY venue for Live Music in South Bombay will die and this will sound the death Knell for festivals like Jazz Yatra & Independence Rock !

Rang Bhavan is the ONLY 3500 seater (5000 Standing) Open Air Amphitheatre in Bombay. It was built in 1952 and since then it has been the home of some of the most prestigious events / Concerts in this City. In it International Greats like Sting ( POLICE ) , Wishbone ASH , Uriah Heep , Jethro Tull , Dizzy Gillespie , Joe Zawinul , Max Roach ,etc Have performed . Every Indian Classical Legend ranging from Ustad Zakir Hussain ,Ustad Alla Rakha Ustad Amjad Ali Khan , Ustad Vilayat Khan , Ustad Sultan Khan , Ustad Bismillah Khan Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia , Pandit Jasraj , Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma , Kishori Amonkar have concerts there every year . It was the home to the annual internationally acclaimed JAZZ YATRA festival for over 20 years. It is also the home of the Only Local Rock Festival in India Independence Rock which has been held there every year for the last 19 years on the 14th & 15th Of AUG . Bands come from all across India to take part in this festival. Hema Malini , Astad Deboo , Mallika Sarabhai & other Internationally acclaimed Dancers regularly stage Low priced Shows for the Common Man at this venue . Many Marathi , Gujerati & English plays too are staged here . Many Colleges / Schools book this venue on a regular Basis for their Annual Entertainment / Talent Events.

Most importantly MARATHI TAMASHAS held by village tamasha Companies from the interior parts of Maharashtra used to provide low cost entertainment to the masses here . It was the only venue in the city that these groups could afford to hire & stage their shows in! As a result of this ban many of these tamasha companies have been rendered JOBLESS and the masses have been robbed of their annual entertainment. An entire Art Form will die in Bombay thanks to this Ban.

Rang Bhavan is a Landmark & heritage site in Mumbai . It is the only AMPHITHEATRE in the city which is the commercial capital of India .To shut it down would be to kill ART , CONCERTS & CULTURE in this City where there are over 200 Colleges and 500 Hospitals . Thus an exception needs to be carved out for Rang Bhavan

Rang Bhavan is the MECCA of entertainment in Mumbai City ,and its closure will rob the city of the only MID SIZE venue available to the South Bombay Affluent Music Afficionado or the Lalbaug Taxi Driver who depended on it for their entertainment !

We are thus moving a petition in the Bombay HC on Fri 13th Aug in this matter and noted Lawyer & Musician Mr. Haresh Jagtiani & his company have given us their valuable Time & made a Herculean effort to fight this injustice and set Rang Bhavan free once again .

In the meantime the Unthinkable has happened and Independence Rock 19 has been postponed by a week to the 21st & 22nd of Aug 2004. For the first time in 19 years this has happened. These are difficult times and one has to try & rise to the Challenges put up by Small minded People! However that will be a Black Day for Music lovers in this City!

We thus urge the Chief Justice of The Bombay High Court , The Government Of Maharashtra & The Director of Cultural Affairs Maharashtra to Declare Rang Bhavan to be exempted from the Silent Zone Laws and declare it an Important Heritage Site .