It's time to say Habba, Habba, Habba

Bangalores own art and culture festival or Habba is back for the eighth time this year with regional theatre folk performances music art and lots more The Guide gives you a lowdown on whats hot through a cut and keep calendarThere is about two weeks worth of chocabloc entertainment stocked up just for you at the Airtel Bengaluru Habba 2011 This annual arts and culture festival in the city is back this time with more regional forms of art performances theatre and craft melas along with some heavy duty Carnatic and fusion performances So mark your calendars or better still cut and keep this weeks schedule so that you dont miss out on any gig or theatreu00a0u00a0 Nirvana by Meghna OberoiIndian Art TrailHeres your chance to go on an art crawl that will not only take you through the citys prominent art galleries but shows that are on display and are part of the Habba this year Through The Eyes of GandhiArtist Gautam Bhatia celebrates the Mahatma in this art showOn till January 30At Apparao Galleries St Marks RoadCall 4132 9163 DualityArtists Madhavi Swarup fuses bright whites with deep and sombre blacks to create a luminous line between reality and illusion White and black also symbolises a space where loneliness meets happiness and establishes a balanceOn till January 24At Tasveer Sua House Kasturba Cross RoadCall 4053 5212 Real Sur RealArtistes Debabrata Sarkar Kamal Pandya Mrinal Dey Nilotpal Dhwaj Sinha Pratul Dash Rajib Chowdhry Rohit Sharma and Sumitava Maity tread the thin line between the real and the surreal in this group art show titled Real Sur Real The Return of the Real Part IIOn till January 28At Tangerine Art Space The Lobby Level I The Collection UB City Vittal Mallya RoadCall 4131 4218 NirvanaVivek Oberois baby sister Meghna Oberoi says hello to this years Habba edition in the form of an art show titled Nirvana Living in Boundless Love She says Boundless love and compassion takes us beyond body consciousness into a place where everything is illuminated Everything is always being born anew as transformation is inevitable In this process we release the old and the new This release takes us into a space which is light itself Meghnas art works explore the theme of spirituality and various Gods and idols we worship in our cultureu00a0u00a0 On till January 22Where Sublime Art Gallery UB City Vittal Mallya RoadCall 2271 1488 Its a Group ShowMinjal Makhija Nilaoyy K Nandi and Megha Anand present a group show on disparate themesOn from January 18 to 22 Going SoloManoj Aher will present a solo show of his artOn from January 24 to 29At Rennaisance Gallerie Cunningham RoadCall 2220 2232 Small Is BeautifulYou can admire the works of 25 artists all under one roof where they will be showing off a collection of small yet affordable paintings On from January 28At Kynkyny Art Infantry Road Call 4092 6202 Sampoorn Craft MelaWhats a cultural festival without some retail therapy At the Sampoorn Craft Mela you will find all things handcrafted from Karnataka as well as across the country From terracotta to handicrafts to junk jewellery you will find everything here There will also be tribal dance music and theatre performances by various folk artists from Karnataka at the same venue On from January 17 to 22 11 am onwardsAt Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat Kumarakrupa Road Call 2226 3424PerformancesA Hindustani vocal performance by Keerti Kumar BadsheshiOn January 17 645 pmThis will be followed by a Hindustani Santoorvadan by Pandit Shivkumar SharmaOn January 17 8 pmDancer Priyadarsini Govind will be giving a Bharatanatyam performanceu00a0 On January 18 645 pmA performance on Bharatanrityam or a more contemporary and evolved version of Bharatanatyam will be performed by Dr Padma SubramanyamOn January 18 8 pmGet ready for an evening where Carnatic strains will jam beautifully with the melodiousness of the saxophone Dr Kadri Gopinath will be giving a Carnatic Saxophone performance On Jan 19 645 pmDancer Ileana Citaristi will perform a dance show in the Odissi styleOn January 19 8 pmAt Chowdiah Memorial Hall Malleshwaram For passes for the Habb avents and other information contact Artists Foundation for the Arts 517 RMV ExtensionCall 2361 0920u00a0 Unmaad 2011 Cultural FestCatch bands like Indian Ocean and Thermal Anda Quarter at this annual festival organised by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore also a part of the Habba this year On January 21 22 and 23 10 am onwards Indian Ocean and Thermal and a Quarter will perform on January 22 6 pmWhere IIM Bangalore Bannerghatta Road