Music to ears: Band House to regain its past glory
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Music to ears: Band House to regain its past glory

May 13, 2022

Bank Note Paper Mill to contribute Rs. 64 lakh for renovation

Mysore/Mysuru: The Band House that once housed the Mysore Police Band will be brought back to its past glory and restored to its original place — Old Mysore City Police Commissioner’s Office at Nazarbad.

At present, the Band House is located at Mounted Police Company on Lalitha Mahal Road. Not only this, the Band House will be renovated with an estimated cost of Rs. 64 lakh.

The Bank Note Paper Mill, a joint venture of Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) — a Government of India Enterprise and Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd. (BRBNMPL) — a Subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India, has come forward to fund the project under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) outreach activities.

The Band House building is about 102-years-old and has an open balcony and gable-tiled roof. Earlier, the Office of City Police Commissioner functioned from there. Now it has been shifted to the new office adjacent to the old Office.

City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta seen with the officials of Bank Note Paper Mill and others after laying the foundation stone for the renovation of Band House in Nazarbad yesterday.

The foundation stone for the renovation works was laid yesterday along with the associated rituals. The renovation will be carried out by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage and an agreement has been signed in this regard.

City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, Commissioner of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage B.R. Poornima, Managing Director of BNPM K.G. Viswanathan, General Managers Dharani Kumara, Anant Hegde and Abhay Kumar Mahapatro, Company Secretary Lakshmisha Babu, Deputy Manager S.A. Raghavendra, Administrator of Police Commissioner’s Office Umamaheswara, Assistant Executive Engineer of Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage C.T. Mahesh, Assistant Engineer Satish, Deputy Director C.N. Manjula and Contractor T. Subhash were present.

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Origin in 1868

Though the present Mysore Police Band traces its origin to 1868, it was during Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s period, the Band House was constructed on the road leading to Vasanth Mahal Palace in Nazarbad, now housing the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). The road was later named after Dewan Sir Mirza Ismail.

The Band House had separate enclosures such as the instruments’ room, music library and an exclusive concert hall, apart from other rooms that were part of this magnificent structure.

In 1952, when Kengal Hanumanthaiah became the Chief Minister, he brought the Palace Bands under the Police Department. A special wing of the Mysore City Police was formed and trained to play melodious instrumental music to enthral connoisseurs and common man. In 1958, the Band House was shifted to the City Police Commissioner’s Office at Nazarbad. In 1997, a need arose for more space in the Commissioner’s Office and the Band House was shifted to Mounted Police Company on Lalitha Mahal Road. Now after renovation, the Police Band will be back in its original place along with a museum of rare musical instruments.

3 COMMENTS ON THIS POST To “Music to ears: Band House to regain its past glory”

  1. R RAJA CHANDRA says:

    Best news from Mysore for a long long time ! It is indeed Music to ears! Thank God the sins of Kempiah IPS will be effaced at last. Congratulations The Bank Note Paper Mill for its generosity and well intended use of CSR scheme and the Police Commissioner for the initiative. All the best and hope more companies will forward under CSR to save Heritage of Mysore and its itter neglect from the MCC and MLA’s

  2. Mann Ki Baat! says:

    Shifting this to the police department during 1950s, by that arch Wadiyar hater Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a big folly, as police department , even then was suffering from lack of funds. I was in my middle school years, when pople protested knowing that this shit would kill the building off. Kengal was busy making himself crores by awarding Vidhana Soudha construction contracts to his friends, and had very little time to review his decision. Though this fund is welcome, the problem would be the enhanced budget, which the contractors will engineer , meeting the difference and then the yearly maintenance costs. The building disrepair will be revisited gain in a few years.

  3. Deepak says:

    Thank you. Mysore should retain its cultural heritage that will help rebuild tourism biz . Its always been in news when Dusshera festival comes.

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