Bhopal culture hubs go out-of-the-box to engage audiences in Covid times

BHOPAL: During the pandemic when the world at large is grappling with Covid-induced restrictions and trying to adapt to new normal, it is heartening to see city’s culture centres resorting to out-of-the-box ideas to keep the

audience interest alive

and kicking.


As a part of this exercise, state-government run Tribal Museum took a bold step when it planned a potpourri of

cultural events

titled Gamak on its Chabutara stage recently. The event which was planned to revive the mood of the audience with strict social distancing norms in place, has now been made a daily event. Curator of the museum Ashok Mishra said, “Earlier, we had at least 500 people visiting the museum on regular days and over 1000 on weekends. But the footfall dropped drastically when it reopened recently. So, we thought of lightening the mood of those 100 odd people every day who are allowed to attend a stage event. Gamak will now be presented every day till things come back to

Pre-Covid

times. It will give people something to look forward to and the artistes who are solely dependent on stage shows, will also earn something.”

Bharat Bhavan, another important hub of culture, is soon planning a virtual tour for people across the world. “A video has already been shot. The idea is to open new ways to connect with wider audience. We are also seeing around 100 people visiting the gallery now, which is a positive move,” said chief administrative officer of Bharat Bhavan, Prem Shankar.

IGRMS, which has a centuries’ old history to its credit, has also started an online exhibition of various rare objects sourced from different artisans of India. Every week, one particular object of a region is showcased on various social media platforms, along with its history and details. This endeavour has found many takers.

A self-confessed culture buff, 25-year-old history student Mayank Jain said, “I am proud of the way city’s cultural institutions are going all out to ensure that people overcome the Covid phobia while following social distancing norms. This is such a positive thing.”