HYDERABAD: In December 2019, a group of artistes in the city established ‘Rangbhoomi’, a collaborative indoor space in Gachibowli. A few months after its launch, the cultural space was shut due to the lockdown. But the artistes patiently waited for the tough phase to pass, but little did they know that there would be another lockdown which would push Rangbhoomi to the brink of permanent closure.
“It’s been a little over a week now and, we have received over 20 per cent of the expected revenue for us to survive,” the co-founder of Rangbhoomi and founder of KissaGo theatre group, Jay Jha, said. “We were almost finished when the lockdown began and then everything stopped. Ever since, we have been under constant pressure -- thinking if we would be able to continue. On the other hand, we could not pay the rent and the dues were piling up. To add to it, there was maintenance,” Jay said.
Until a fortnight ago, the group had lost all hope and were about to bid goodbye to the newly built Rangbhoomi. “But then, we thought we should try and see if donations could help revive it. And, Hyderabadis have been kind to us. We have collected over `2.2 lakh in the last 10 days, but need more,” he says. Just to get through 2021, the space will need a little over 9.5 lakh. “The major problem is rent. The landlord, although generous, has been over our heads because we have not paid him for months together. However, we hope that we will be able to come back soon,” says Jay.