Sometimes, all it takes is a good platform for an artist to burst out of their shell and present their art to an audience, fearlessly. Now, if you're an artist and you live in Hyderabad, Hunar House might be just the platform you need. Started by Abhinay Bharadwaj as Xplore Abhinayam three years ago, it was envisioned as a community which met both online and offline. It was started at a time when coworking spaces were not as popular as they are today. Despite that, they got together and performed, and for the artists, the world became their stage.
"We had even performed in old age homes and orphanages just to see sunny smiles on the faces of both the young and old," says Bharadwaj. Xplore Abhinayam was later rechristened as Hunar House, but their purpose remained the same — to serve as a stage for artists looking to express themselves. Their motto — Talent Yours, House Ours — summarises their mission quite perfectly, don't you think? And Hunar House is for all kinds fo artists — painters, singers, dancers, actors, comedians, theatre artists.
Hunar (meaning 'skill') House believes in not only providing a stage for artists but also helping them hone their craft as well. After all, they are a community that looks out for its members. One of the most striking aspects about them is that before every performance, artists are encouraged to share with the audience a little bit of their backstory. "Yes, we encourage them to talk about their journey as well," says Bharadwaj, who was born and brought up in Hyderabad. We ask him what some of the obstacles he faces are and he instantly says (almost like he's been expecting this question), it's finding venues. But by the looks of it, they seem to be getting along just fine.
The future looks bright for Hunar House and all the talent it fosters (and aims to foster) because next, they not only plan to host more events, but they also want to publish their work. They hope to start more dialogues and ensure that they house the right kind of hunar.
Event calendar
Hunar House collaborates with NGOs and other organisations to do themed events like:
- An open mic with Nojoto, the talent sharing app (January 5, 2019)
- An open mic with YourQuote, a user-generated content platform (December 25, 2018)
- Safar, an open mic on girl child education with The Girlimprints, a community (December 22, 2018)
For more on them, click on facebook.com/HunarHouse
