Kote Music And Arts Foundation

We started the Kote Music And Arts Foundation over here in Uttarahalli 56. It’s a space where we focus on various traditional instruments and some local art forms. The place isn't very large, just a couple of rooms that we've set up with mats on the floor and some instruments leaning against the walls. You can usually hear someone practicing a flute or a drum if you walk by in the late afternoon. We aren't a big academy with certificates and fancy uniforms. It’s more of a community thing where people come to learn because they actually enjoy the music. Most of the folks who come here live right in the neighborhood. We have some older teachers who have been playing for decades, and they don't have much patience for people who don't practice. The walls are covered with some old photos and some drawings from the students. It’s a bit messy sometimes, with sheet music scattered around and instruments out of their cases, but it feels alive. We don't have a lot of funding, so we just make do with what we have. Sometimes we put on a small show for the parents and neighbors right in the hallway or the small front area. It’s a simple life, focused on the arts and keeping some of these traditions going in this part of the city. We don't bother with much advertising; people just find us through friends.