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Lucknow’s popular event venue, Natya Kala Kendra auditorium closed for renovation
A popular venue for seminars, functions and weddings, the Natya Kala Kendra auditorium has 700 seats.
LUCKNOW Built under the authority of the Nari Sewa Samiti in the late 1970s, the Natya Kala Kendra auditorium has been a popular venue for seminars, functions, and weddings in the city for decades. However, the 700-seater auditorium, which is in a dilapidated condition, is currently closed for renovation.
The walls of the structure are crumbling at several points while several window panes broken. The bathrooms at the auditorium, which were also in a bad condition, are being renovated. The green rooms, which are a few feet away from the bathroom, have also suffered damage, said Ram Chandar, supervisor at Nari Sewa Samiti.
Besides, a new fire safety system will also be installed in the auditorium as the previous one has become outdated. “Without these precautions, we cannot open up the auditorium for bookings... The auditorium is not air-conditioned and does not have its own sound and light system as well,” said Chandar.
A look at the auditorium exterior spells poor maintenance with advertorial posters glued on the gates and shattered window panes visible on the balcony floor. Further, the cement on the walls inside is crumbling in chunks. However, the renovation plans do not include these repairs.
“We have a corpus fund of ₹20 lakh from the trust and donations, which we will be using for the renovations,” said RB Tiwari, in-charge at Nari Sewa Samiti. Reacting to this, Chandar said that the funds are released at intervals, slowing down the renovation process. “We are hopeful that the constructions will be over by April 15, and then, we can start taking bookings again by the end of that month. We usually get 2-3 bookings per month,” he shared.
The per-day fare for the space is ₹15,000, which increases if the performances or events continue later into the night. The hall is typically booked by schools, colleges and companies for functions and seminars. Wedding parties also book the hall. Significantly, the auditorium also has balcony seating where special guests are seated and served food.
It is worth mentioning that the Nari Sewa Samiti was established as a social service organisation for the social and economic upliftment of underprivileged women by Burma (now Myanmar)-born Indian social worker Mona Chandravati Gupta. The organisation runs vocational training courses and consultation services as well as charity programs providing education to underprivileged girl children.
