Music director Hamsalekha stuck in Basavanagudi police station as protestors block exit
The Hindu
He had appeared before the police in connection with a complaint against him
Protestors blocked the road when music director Hamsalekha left Basavanagudi police station on November 25 after appearing before the police in connection with a complaint against him on his remarks on late Vishveshwara theertha swamiji of Pejawar mutt.
Mr. Hamsalekha, during a programme in Mysuru, had said that while an ‘upper’ caste person visiting a Dalit’s house is celebrated such as in the case of the late seer, the important question is if it would also work in the reverse. He had also asked if ‘upper’ caste people would partake the food consumed by Dalits during such visits.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.