Lalitha Kala Thoranam

Department Of Culture territory, this. The Kala Thoranam has a lovely open-air auditorium that's perfect for a cool evening when the stars are out. The biggest function held here has to be the Nandi awards, one of the few programs that's not open to the public. This annual award ceremony has truckloads of people hanging around outside to catch a glimpse of their favourite movie stars.

Events held here by the Department are usually too big to fit in Ravindra Bharathi - like The African Footprint, that excellent dance performance which saw a crowd of thousands. Otherwise the Thoranam is a favourite with schools, with dance and music programs, of course, and for the occasional annual day function. There are also lots of bhajan-type functions and mythological plays of the overacted variety, by various religious societies.

This is the only place that can seat so many people outdoors and do justice to a performance. The huge stage lets even the back-seaters get a pretty good view. It's ideally suited for music concerts - the perfect venue for when one of those international pop stars finally visits Hyderabad. Enrique Iglesias at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam! We can see it now.