HERITAGE BEKU UNVEILS LIMITED EDITION 2026 CALENDAR WITH RUMALE ART HOUSE

HERITAGE BEKU UNVEILS LIMITED EDITION 2026 CALENDAR, CELEBRATING BANGALORE’S BLOOMS THROUGH THE ART OF RUMALE

Bangalore, December 2025 – Heritage Beku, the citizen-led movement championing the city's unique culture, today announced the launch of its warmly anticipated 2026 calendar. This year’s edition is a landmark artistic collaboration, featuring twelve stunning, never-before-published paintings of Bangalore’s iconic flowering trees by the renowned Kannada painter laureate, Shri Rumale.

Titled “Hoovu Habba: A Year in Bloom,” the calendar transforms Shri Rumale’s exquisite botanical art into a free, limited-edition public resource. It serves as a constant, beautiful reminder of the city’s natural heritage, directly embodying the spirit of Heritage Beku’s Hoovu Habba initiative—Bangalore’s answer to the global tradition of celebrating seasonal blossoms.

“This calendar is more than a timekeeper; it’s a manifesto of beauty and a call to preservation,” said a spokesperson for Heritage Beku. “Shri Rumale’s paintings do not just depict trees; they capture the soul of our city’s avenues—the nostalgia of pink Tabebuia showers, the vibrant hope in Gulmohar flames, and the quiet dignity of flowering Jacaranda. Through this collaboration with the Rumale Trust, we are placing a piece of living heritage on every desk.”

The 2026 calendar is a direct outcome of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rumale Art House. It marks a significant milestone for Heritage Beku, weaving together art, botany, and civic memory into a single, impactful artifact. The calendar will be distributed free of charge, continuing Heritage Beku’s tradition of creating sought-after collectibles that foster city pride.

About Heritage Beku & Hoovu Habba:Heritage Beku is a citizen initiative dedicated to documenting, celebrating, and advocating for the preservation of Bangalore’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. ‘Hoovu Habba’ (Festival of Flowers) is its flagship campaign to institutionalize the celebration of the city’s unique, year-round serial blossoming of avenue trees—a 100-year-old botanical legacy planned by horticulturists like Gustav Krumbiegel.

Launch Event Details:

• Date: First Weekend of January 2026

• Venue: Virtual: To be announced on Heritage Beku’s social media channels.

• Availability: Limited edition.

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ANNEXURE:

The Global Context & City Impact of ‘Hoovu Habba’

This annexure provides the researched background on the global tradition of blossom festivals and the specific, transformative potential of the Hoovu Habba initiative for Bangalore.

1. Global Precedents: How Cities Celebrate Blossoms

The act of celebrating seasonal blooms is a powerful urban tradition across the world, driving tourism, community cohesion, and environmental awareness.

• Japan’s Hanami: The quintessential model. The cherry blossom (Sakura) season is a profound national cultural event, rooted in centuries of history. It generates billions in tourism revenue, inspires art and merchandise, and is a core part of Japanese cultural identity. It symbolizes both beauty and transience (mono no aware).

• Washington D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival: A direct cultural import that has become a defining civic event. What began with a gift of 3,000 trees from Japan in 1912 now attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually, featuring a parade, cultural performances, and a major economic impact estimated at over $150 million each year.

• Sikkim’s Cherry Blossom Festival: A successful Indian example that has put Sikkim on the global tourism map. It combines natural beauty with local music, food, and adventure sports, showcasing how regional flora can be leveraged for sustainable tourism and brand identity.

Key Takeaway: These festivals transcend mere “flower viewing.” They are strategically curated cultural-economic platforms that build city brand equity, foster local pride, and create recurring economic value.

2. Bangalore’s Unique Heritage: The ‘Garden City’s’ Botanical Symphony

Hoovu Habba is not inventing a tradition but institutionalizing a forgotten one. As noted in Heritage Beku’s campaign, Bangalore’s “serial blossoming” was a deliberate, scientific design by horticulturist Gustav Herman Krumbiegel and later S.G. Neginhal. They curated tree avenues (Tabebuia, Gulmohar, Jacaranda, etc.) to ensure year-round color—a living, breathing public art project.

This makes Bangalore’s heritage distinct:

• It’s Year-Round: Unlike a single-species, two-week bloom, Bangalore offers a rotating palette.

• It’s Architectural: The blooms are integrated into the city’s street fabric, not just parks.

• It’s Tangible Heritage: These mature tree avenues are as much a part of the city’s heritage as its colonial buildings or temples.

3. The Strategic Impact of Hoovu Habba & This Calendar

The 2026 Rumale calendar is a critical first step in a larger strategic framework, as outlined in Heritage Beku’s vision. Its impact is multidimensional:

• Cultural & Educational Impact: The calendar, paired with proposed art camps, poetry readings, and school curricula, moves blooms from background to focus. It creates a shared visual language and narrative for the city’s natural heritage, much like Japanese woodblock prints did for Sakura.

• Tourism & Economic Impact: By mapping blooms (e.g., “Tabebuia Trails in Lalbagh,” “Jacaranda Canopies of Jayamahal”), Hoovu Habba can disperse tourism across seasons and neighborhoods. This supports local businesses, guides, and hospitality, mirroring the economic model of Washington D.C. or Sikkim.

• Preservation & Environmental Impact: Celebration is the first step toward preservation. A public that values the pink Tabebuia as a cultural icon will actively oppose its felling for a road widening. Initiatives like “Tree Champions,” “Adoption,” and digital mapping create direct citizen stewardship, safeguarding this green legacy against urban pressure.

• Artistic & Archival Impact: The collaboration with Rumale sets a powerful precedent. It elevates botanical art as a serious genre tied to civic identity and creates a priceless archival record. Future ideas like a coffee table book or a digital “Bloom Map” would further this mission.

Conclusion: An Optimistic, Forward-Looking Heritage

Hoovu Habba, catalyzed by artifacts like the Rumale calendar, redefines heritage not as a static look backward, but as a living, breathing, and colorful practice. It connects Bangalore to a global family of cities that find strength in their natural beauty while forging a unique, optimistic identity for India’s garden city. This calendar is the seed from which a richer, more colorful, and more conscious city can grow.