• To house ‘Karnataka Police Band Museum’
• Inauguration after Jan. 22, says City Top Cop

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: The restoration of the iconic Band House, which formerly accommodated the Old Mysore City Police Commissioner’s Office in Nazarbad, has been completed, restoring the heritage structure to its former grandeur.

This accomplishment sets the stage for the creation of the ‘Karnataka Police Band Museum.’ The rare and unique musical instruments presently housed at the Mounted Police Company on Lalitha Mahal Road will now be shifted to their original location. This development not only preserves the historical significance of the structure but also adds another tourist attraction to the city of Mysuru.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth said “We have plans to inaugurate the renovated Band House named as ‘Karnataka Police Band Museum’  after Jan. 22. Once inaugurated, all the rare musical instruments housed at  the Mounted Police Company will be shifted here.”

The Band House has been renovated at an estimated cost of Rs. 64 lakh funded by Bank Note Paper Mill India Private Limited (BNPM), a joint venture of Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) — a Government of India Enterprise and Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd. (BRBNMPL) — a Subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) outreach activities.

The Band House building was constructed in 1920 for the purpose of a Palace orchestra. It is about 103 years old and has an open balcony and gable-tiled roof.  A brainchild of former Mysuru City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, the Museum works began on 12.5.2022 and the works have been carried out in coordination with the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, supervised by Department Commissioner A. Devaraju.

Police officers and work supervisors told Star of Mysore this morning that all the enclosures such as the instruments’ room, music library and an exclusive concert hall, apart from other rooms that were part of this magnificent structure have got a new look now.

Details of renovation

The details of the works include, removal of the roof from a deteriorated building, replacement of Mangalore tiles and rafters and the supply of new plot tiles, clearing mud from the dilapidated walls, adhering to heritage norms by applying lime mortar for structural integrity and removal and replacement of damaged wooden doors and windows, along with remodelling and assembly to restore their original condition.

Other works included the application of paint to both the interior and exterior walls of the structure, polishing the interior and exterior surfaces of windows and doors to enhance their appearance and durability and thorough cleaning of the building stones to maintain the aesthetic appeal and historical charm of the structure. Contractor T. Subhas has carried out the works.

Envisioning the Museum, Dr. Chandragupta further wanted to convert the space between the old and new Police Commissioner’s Office as a permanent place for Police Band performance, both English and Karnatak. At present, the Police Band performs only on important days and he wanted to make it a regular ‘musical evening’ for tourists.

As per heritage norms

“The entire renovation of the ancient building has been done as per the provisions and details of the heritage norms and we personally supervised the process and gave suggestions. Even the materials that were initially used to build the structure were used for renovation,” said A. Devaraju, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage.

Music memorabilia

Plans are on to make the ‘Karnataka Police Band Museum’ to house and display rare memorabilia of the Police Band including instruments like Clarinets, Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone, Trumpets, French Horn, Circle Bass, Euphonium, Trombone, Drums, etc.

The Police Band also boasts of a collection of other instruments such as Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double-Bass, Harp, Bass-Saxophone, etc. Even rare instruments like Horn Cello, Tubular-Bells, Deagan, Organ Pipes (Tubular Organ), Accordion, Glockenspiel and Xylophone were used. The Police Band has a huge library of musical notation consisting of compositions of renowned and famous composers of the world.