It was truly the common man’s art festival.
The 12th edition of the Chitra Santhe organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) had something to offer for the young and the old alike. The entire stretch of Kumara Krupa Road had turned into an art gallery that beckoned visitors. Stalls featuring caricature artists, face and nail art, had been set up at the venue.
The annual art event provides a platform for artists from across the country to exhibit their works. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah formally inaugurated the event by signing on a giant canvas and assured the CKP of support from the government.
Connoisseurs had a field day with a wide variety of works of art, including paintings, sculptures, murals and mixed media art works, to choose from.
A regular visitor to the Chitra Santhe, Jamuna Raghavan, a resident of Jayanagar, said, “We bought six art pieces, including rural landscapes. We spent over Rs. 1 lakh already and there is still so much left to see.”
Many visitors opined that the Chitra Santhe should be held for a minimum of two days at least. “We can take proper decisions and buy more art pieces had it been a two-day event,” said another visitor Raksha Sriram.
The santhe had a high visitor footfall but, participating artists had a complaint – they felt that business was poor for those who had stalls inside the CKP campus compared to those outside.
Mahantesh Garadimane, an artist from Ranebennur, who had a stall inside CKP, was disappointed. “I have been participating in the santhe for the past three years. This year, I was allotted a stall inside and I am not happy with the sales,” he said.
Over Rs. 2 crore business
The artists who participated in this year’s Chitra Santhe seemed to be a happy lot. According to Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath principal R.H. Kulkarni, the sales exceeded Rs. 2 crore. “Compared to last year, the sales were better this year. The works that were on sale were also much better. Many artists sold most of their work,” Mr. Kulkarni said. The temporary ATM set up by State Bank of Mysore at CKP recorded over Rs. 30 lakh withdrawals, he said.
A green crusader
In an attempt to underscore the need to protect the depleting green cover, sculptor Uday Veer Singh caught the attention of the visitors in a unique way. While singing a song on trees and their importance, Mr. Singh distributed vegetable seeds to the visitors. “Through the song, I wanted to drive home the fact that the forest cover is fast depleting. Initially, I wanted to give away seedlings. But not everyone has the space to grow trees. So, I gave away vegetable seeds that can be grown even on the terrace,” he said.
Parking problems
Visitors to the santhe faced parking problems. Many, including a few participants, had to scour the bylanes in search of the parking space. Every available nook and corner seemed to have been converted into parking spots.
Tight security
With the Church Street blast still fresh in people’s memories, the city police took extra precautions to ensure that the visitors felt safe. As many as 15 CCTV cameras had been installed along the one-km stretch of Kumara Krupa Road from Shivananda Circle to Windsor Circle. Apart from 50 civil defence personnel, 30 policemen in civil dress kept a close watch on the area.
Premises cleaned
Vendors sold food items from boiled peanuts to ice creams to visitors all through out the event. Though a few dustbins had been placed strategically, the entire stretch was littered at the end of the day. However, students of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, along with volunteers, cleaned the road.
