The auditorium of Himalaya Kala Mandir under construction. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, June 21: Once a cultural centre for hill people, Himalaya Kala Mandir, which had long faded from public memory, is set for a facelift.

The executive committee of the mandir, headed by M.K. Gurung, has collected a sum of Rs 10 lakh through donations for the purpose. Work on an auditorium with a seating capacity of around 500 people has already started.

Established in 1950, Kala Mandir was patronised by legends like Raj Kapoor, Devika Rani Roerich and Uday Shankar and, for years, had been instrumental in producing Nepali artists like Gopal Yonzone and Mani Kumar Chhetri.

Artistes from kala mandir, were asked to perform not only before dignitaries like King Mahendra of Nepal in 1962 and Jawaharlal Nehru, but were also invited to many parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan to show off their talents.

The Gorkhaland agitation which put a stop to all cultural activities in the hills, had a telling effect on the kala mandir too: It slowly faded into oblivion. “We will now bring back the golden days of the mandir,” said Durga Kharel, a legal adviser and noted singer.

“We will also have a library on culture and heritage and later, we will use the auditorium to screen classics. A research centre will also be set up,” said Kharel.

According to Kharel, the people of the hills forgot the kala mandir as a number of other musical organisations came into existence. “We will now try to bring all hill artists under a common banner,” said Kharel.

Non-Nepali artists like the late Aloke Ghosh and M.K Bose had made an immense contribution to make the mandir what it was.

Various galleries, to be completed within a couple of years, will be named after the mandir’s non-Nepali patrons.

“We want to create a common platform of expression at the mandir that will unite the hill cultures and bring the people together,” said Kharel.

The centre is also working towards opening a dance and training institute to groom young talents.

“In the past, our artistes had performed in Bollywood films like Professor, Mahal and Ham Raj. We are know looking forward to imparting high quality training at the centre,” said Kharel.