The Living Room Kutcheri: an informal space for art, brings performers closer to audience
By Simran Bhatnagar and Sanvidha Rajesh
In the heart of Bangalore, hidden in an archaic apartment kissing the railway tracks, lies a home that shelters Indian art forms along with Thambi’s (a 4-month old puppy) family. Once a month, the doors are wide open for everyone who’d like to spend their evening amidst the varied flavours of Indian culture with a cup of cutting chai.
The Living Room Kutcheri is, in fact, the living room of Gurupriya Atreya, who began this as an extension of her mother’s (and her) love for the arts. Chamber Concerts or Kutcheris have existed in the Indian culture since time immemorial and are known for rendering a far different experience from a stage show.
“Being an artist, I have craved for wanting to perform in intimate spaces more than public venues…it is informal, you open up more, you know,” Atreya said.
All in the matter of a week’s time, with some help from her enthusiastic friends-cum-artists, the Living Room Kutcheri took shape in her home, and by word-of-mouth managed to attract large crowds for every single performance.
“There were almost 85–90 people for Vasu’s, and Bindu and MD Pallavi’s performance. People were sitting outside on the staircase, in the balcony and in the kitchen and everywhere. They were just ready to adjust and accommodate in any corner,” she recalled.
The fact that it’s a residential space that cannot be converted into a commercial hubbub works in her favour, she believes. It’s not the usual black curtains, numbered/ticketed seats, or ‘no food articles allowed’ — type of environment. The charm of LRK is in those beautiful sarees of hers that she often uses as a backdrop for the performances, the chai in steel cups and the chaapeys for seating.
“When I watch shows on stage, I’ve felt a strong hierarchy between the performer and me. But with this physical proximity, I somehow feel like that hierarchy doesn’t exist. Especially since the performer speaks to the audience and among us we have conversations too,” said Preksha, a 22-year-old who’s visited the LRK twice.
For Atreya, multiple factors create the Living Room Kutcheri environment.
“One is the intimate space itself, considering I live in this home. So it’s a home that is converted into a performance space for one evening. Two, curation is our strength. Up until now, we’ve tried to bring artists that are not very easily heard outside. The plan is to try and bring them from different regions of our country. Apart from that, what adds to the LRK’s charm is that it’s set in a very old-world Bangalore,” she said.
Since LRK began 18 months ago, it has given rise to a community. The people who come for the performances bring along tea, flowers, chaapeys among many other things. Some of them come in early to help her move the dining tables, sofas and other furniture to the next floor. The neighbours do not mind the pile of slippers that flood the front of their houses.
“It’s amazing. It’s just amazing. I really think there is faith that there are still people who are looking forward to something like this. I think they’re also craving an interaction like this. LRK is just pure love. Touchwood I’ve never been left with a bitter experience,” she said, touching her petti teapoy table.
If she has to point out a bump in this road, amidst all the smooth-sailing, it would be her initial hesitance to ask people to pay. Since these shows are not ticketed, the LRK places a bowl where people can turn in any amount they’re willing to pay for the show, all of which is solely given to the artist. So, while one gets a sum of 6,000, another could be at the receiving end of a generous 12,000 bucks.
“How is it fair then?” asked Mrs. Atreya. “But, I should also respect the fact that these are things that are happening organically. You know, over a period of time, that stopped becoming my job. People started saying amongst themselves ‘we should pay this much’.”
Preethi Bharadwaj, a Bharatanatyam dancer who performed in the LRK, believes that the very fact that the audience are so close to the performer makes it interesting. She likes to see the audience’s reaction in real time and their eagerness to start a conversation with the performer. The need for proscenium etiquette is reduced.
Meghna Das, an Odissi dancer who went from being an audience to performer and now the social media manager of LRK, said that the intimacy made her question the form of Odissi. She ended up performing in just a black kurta and leggings, and Ms. Bharadwaj also simplified her costume, as they explored their classical dance forms that hold intrinsic values for aharya (outfit) and the distance from its audience.
Thus, being a space for exploration and revival, LRK has already been booked by a line-up of performances until April 2019.
As a brand, they’ve also begun curating other festivals like the Spoken Word Festival in Mumbai. They are trying to find another ‘home’ within Bangalore for art forms that require a larger space. With a vision of getting as many art forms as possible to the forefront, Atreya hopes to move to other cities. “Again, I wanna choose one home every city. I’d want this to stay like this. I’d probably not want this to become something else, you know? Because there is a kind of warmth, a kind of soul in this intimate space,” she says.
For more information on upcoming performances, follow the LRK on Instagram at @thelivingroomkutcheri.
