The 106 year old ''Town Hall'' of Nellore city, AP - its link with play-back singer late SPB!!

Navrang India October 24, 2021

 During the colonial days and later post independence period in major cities and towns across India Town Halls played no less role than other public buildings in serving the public. They were built to showcase the rich cultural history of the place by hosting dramas, native dance recitals, folk arts, etc. Most importantly, they  played a crucial role during the independence movement because they served as a public meeting place for the patriots to fight against the British. In the past two decades or so most of  the public halls of the past era have fallen into disuse owing to the growth of innumerable Kalyana Mantaps (Wedding halls) in many cities. The Town hall at Nellore city is intertwined with the growth of  this place,  HQ of Potti Sriramalu Nellore district which is famous for high quality rice. 

Nellore City Town Hall, AP.mapio.net

The 106 year old Town hall of Nellore city is one of the oldest structures where countless cultural actiities took place in the past. Built in   in 1915 by Rao Bahaddoor Rebala Lakshminarasa Reddy on a plot of two and half acres of land on Trunk Road, officially it is called  the  Rebala Lakshminarasa Reddy Puramandiram’.  The  complex has  a big  auditorium, Dining Hall,  an  open ground  Reading Room and a small Vinayaka temple right in the town hall compound. 

location map Nellore city. docs.google.com
The Town hall underwent major restoration in 2003 and a big contribution of Rs.40 lakh  was  given by one J.S.Reddy. The town Tall since  its inception had  hosted several arts and cultural programs,  music recitals, drama performances, school functions, etc. Quite interesting fact  no other town halls in this part  have hosted  thousands of wedding functions and  theater performances  as this town hall did in the past. People in thousands who had some kind of link with this town hall through weddings, social functions, etc fondly remember this venue which is associated with this old city for a long time. 

Yet another fascinating fact is the town hall's  close association  with the  famous movie playback  singer late Sri S.P. Balasubramanium, quite popular in the south as well as in the north. When he came for the inauguration of the Town Tall after renovation in 2003, in front of a huge audience  he  recalled his association with the town hall since his childhood and his very early music performances there. He  himself  said,  ''This is the stage from which I gave my first performance at the age of five as Raghurama in Bhaktha Ramadasu where my father and noted Harikatha exponent S.P.Sambamurthy was Ramadasu.”After major repair work, the town hall sported a new look.