PUNE, June 21: Thanks to an apathetic set of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials who are more worried about the ``loss-making'' venture called the Balgandharva Kala Dalan, the personal belongings and photographs of Bal Gandharva, the stalwart of Marathi theatre after whom the city's premier auditorium-cum-art gallery is named, will be exhibited only for a day on his 109th birth anniversary on June 26.

Anuradha Rajhans, the grand daughter-in-law of Bal Gandharva, requested the officials to let out the Balgandharva Kala Dalan free of charge for a few days to exhibit some rare collection of Bal Gandharva's personal possessions, but she was given a cold shoulder.

She had approached certain PMC officials in April, explaining to them her mission of showing the public what her grandfather-in-law had left behind in terms of photographs, personal items and costumes. She wanted the art gallery to be allotted free for a few days, but the officials were not impressed with her request. Instead, the long winded excuses of the consequent ``monetary loss'' given by the authorities has left her with no option but to hire the Kala Dalan at the usual charges, just like anyone else and that too for just one day.

Despite the matter having been taken to the mayor, Vandana Chavan, with a request that she intervene, the mayor, according to Anuradha, pleaded that having taken over only recently, she was not sure of the procedure. Though the mayor agreed to get back to her, mum's the word from the mayor's office although more than two months have passed by.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.