The State government will allocate more funds for the Chitra Santhe. The allocation will be increased from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh every year, Minister for Kannada and Culture Govind M. Karjol announced here on Sunday.
Speaking during the inauguration of the santhe, Mr. Karjol said that the government was keen on taking up measures to encourage budding artists.
The Minister added that the renovation of Kalagrama on Bangalore University Jnanabharathi campus would be completed in the next 15 days. This would help provide various facilities for budding artists across the State.
Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who inaugurated the event, said that there was a need to encourage young, budding artists in the city. “Through the paintings, the artists reflect their feelings and emotions. Artists are the custodians of culture. I am glad that people have come to the festival in such large numbers,” he said. Several renowned art teachers and two art critics were honoured. They include M.J. Kamalakshi, Sudha Manohar, Suresh D. Halbhavi, Ramdas Adyanthaya, Mallikarjuna Jadhav, Ashok T. Akki, Basavaraj Uppin, M.R. Bhalikayi, K. Laxman Bhat, A.L. Narasimhan and K.V. Subramanyam.
M.J. Kamalakshi, artist and art teacher, expressed happiness over the fact the art scene in the city had improved tremendously over the last few decades. “Karnataka was not even in the art map in the 1970s. But now, the art movement here is on par with the other countries,” she said.
