A model of the cultural complex being constructed at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra

Nov. 4: A centrally air-conditioned state-of-the-art auditorium complex, the first of its kind in the region, is coming up at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in the city.

Christened the Srimanta Sankardeva International Convention Centre, it will fulfil the long-felt need of the connoisseurs of culture.

It is a welcome relief after the fiasco of the Rs 6.35-crore “dream project” of the Machkhowa cultural complex, funded by the Indian Tea Association. The project turned into a nightmare for want of Rs 80 lakh to clear the liabilities of the contractors.

The construction of the project began in May this year. The complex will have three auditoriums of 1,250, 800 and 300 seating capacity respectively. It will boast of a reinforced sound system and a cinema projection system.

“The 300-capacity auditorium can also be turned into a conference hall whenever required,” said Gautam Sharma, secretary, Kalakshetra.

The project, estimated at Rs 30 crore, is being financed by the department for Development of Northeast Region (DONER) through the planning department, government of Assam. Of this, Rs 28 crore will be used for construction and Rs 1 crore for consultancy.

The sprawling complex in a five-hectare area will also have a restaurant, parking space, a park and a garden for the recreation of visitors. A central plaza of nearly 800 square metres will be used for open exhibitions and other functions. “There will be one big water body, a tank of 1,50,000 litres capacity, for fire fighting,” said Sharma.

The eastern side of the complex will be kept unused as a park, to be later utilised for the construction of a multi-purpose hall with a seating capacity of 5,000 people.

“This hall, which we propose to construct in future, will try to eliminate the “pandal culture” here. Major functions can be organised here at a reasonable cost,” said Sharma.

Noted theatre personality Girish Choudhury said, “The facilities available at present are not adequate and this will definitely fill up the gap. The architects should also keep in mind the appropriate length and breadth of the stage whenever they design an auditorium.”

At present, the Kalakshetra has an open-air theatre with a seating capacity of 2,000 people. It has hosted several folk festivals and traditional dance and drama of the state.

Apart from that, there are two air-conditioned conference halls of 20 and 30 seating capacity and a seminar hall with a seating capacity for 100 people.

Spread over a sprawling campus of 10.28 hectares in the Panjabari area of the city, the Kalakshetra has a Sahitya and Sangeet Natak Bhawan, a Lalit Kala Bhawan, a cultural museum, a heritage park and an artists’ village — which is the nerve centre of cultural excellence in Assam.

In the Lalit Kala Bhawan, there is sufficient space for exhibition, art and sculpture workshops and art gallery. The cultural museum is a storehouse of cultural objects. Day-to-day articles used by different ethnic groups are preserved and exhibited here. The indigenous costumes and ornaments, the distinct lifestyle of the people of Assam, have been displayed through working models, charts, photographs and paintings.