Hiding in plain sight, on Bengaluru’s Kamaraj Road, is a beautifully restored 160-year-old building that has been given a new lease on life. Sabha, is a vibrant cultural space that has quickly become a hub for arts, ideas, and community in the city. This heritage space offers a home for everything from classical music performances and theatre productions to art workshops and unique exhibits.
Artist: Smitha Shivaswamy | Medium: Brushpen
A Brief History
The story of Sabha is rooted in a tradition of education and community. The building was once the Chaturveda Siddhantha Sabha School, established by the RBANM’s Educational Charities. For over a century, it was a place where generations of students were educated and where knowledge was shared. However, like many of Bengaluru’s historic buildings, it eventually fell into disrepair and was left abandoned for over 15 years, its halls and windows gathering dust.
Artist: Smitha Shivaswamy | Medium: Brushpen
Restoring the heritage property
In 2024, the Ammini Trust, led by V. Ravichandar, took on the monumental task of restoring the dilapidated structure. The restoration team was dedicated to keeping the original character of the building intact, from its pitched roof and wooden beams to its large windows.
Today, Sabha not only hosts a wide range of events but also serves as a model for how to respectfully and creatively repurpose historic buildings.
It has already become a favourite sketching location for the Penciljam community, who meet at Sabha to draw the architecture, as well as the vibrant events hosted there.
Artist: George Supreeth | Medium: Pen and Coloured Pencils
Sketching at Sabha
For those of us who sketch and draw, Sabha is a dream come true. The building’s beautiful architecture provides a wealth of subjects. Its courtyard, with a charming café and lush greenery, is a perfect spot to sit and capture the interplay of light and shadow on the old walls.
While there are no restrictions as such on art material at Sabha, it is important to remember that as a cultural space, it sometimes attracts crowds. Plan your sketching trip to Sabha meaningfully so as not to disrupt the experience of other visitors.
An ideal setup is to carry a small or medium sized sketchbook (A5 or A4), and a selection of pens. For colour, consider carrying a small watercolour box, or a few coloured pencils or even brushpens.
Artist: Smitha Shivaswamy | Medium: Graphite Pencil
For our community of artists, Sabha is a place where we can practice our craft while celebrating Bengaluru’s rich history and its promising future as a city of art and culture. In bringing together our sketches of Sabha, we hope to share not just the pictures of a building, but the feeling of being there—the echoes of a school’s past and the buzz of a cultural hub.
