Lamakaan, a space for thought, speech and activity should be encouraged to function

Ham ko yaaN dar dar phiraya yaar ne/La-makaaN meiN ghar banaya yaar ne

This Urdu couplet defines what La-makaaN means. It is place without boundaries or the place where God lives. It roughly means, God has made his abode in Lamakaan and making us look for Him here and there.

This name was picked by some enthusiastic Hyderabadi to dedicate his house in high profile Banjara Hills off-road number One near GVK mall and dedicated it as an open cultural space. It serves people thirsty for knowledge and quality entertainment. Within a short span of 13 years it has made a place in the hearts of Hyderabadis and also people from other parts of the country.

For instance, read the programme shee that has been lined up for later this week.

Come Eat with Me: March 10th. It a unique performance by Vamsi that blends theater with food and audience and the performer eat together and explore dalit food cuisine, diversity. As food is available in limited quantity, this event requires preregistration from our website or https://forms.gle/uyosYWPjZrYp2PZ97

We Push the Sky: On Match 11th. Qabila presents stories of friendships in the times of turmoil and communal rhetoric written and performed by Niha Abulla. The play is an affirmation of our ability to forge belonging from the sharp edges of our differences.

Rich Media : Poor Journalism : March 12th
Hartosh Singh Bal, writer, journalist talks about the growing schism between media that is increasingly polarized and polarizing and journalism that needs to speak to the Truth.

Listening to Thumri : March 14th. Viday Rao, the award-winning thumri maestro will introduce Thumri singing, its tradition, history and nuanced appreciation in a lecture and listening session.

Purane Gaane with Yaseen Khan : March 15th.

Yaseen Khan is a violinist, rabaab player and composer. He has played for India’s top music directors and films that range from Zanjeer to Umrao Jaan and from Naushad to Bhappi Lahari.

Dance and Dialogue : March 16th. Haleem Khan the famous Kuchipudi dancer, breaks conventions around the art traditions of dance forms in an interactive performance

Ashhar Farhan, a multi-talented entrepreneur and literature enthusiast, is one of its founder members. He says, “Now that this space has begun to bubble with activity after recovering from the destructive effects of CORONA-19, it is attracting attention from some intolerant elements. Some of them are said to be threatening the visitors directly and a few others are visiting it in the garb of security personnel…It hardly matters as long as the sensible citizenry of the city is with us.”

Lamakaan has 14 accomplished persons as its curators who have so far organised hundreds of events such as film shows, seminars, exhibitions. “Lamakaan is truly a successful experiment and model for creating infrastructure for open cultures in urban centres across India,” he added.