It was on Gandhi Jayanti last year that gazal singer Umbayi sang and inaugurated the 8-Point Art Cafe at the Asramam Government Guest House complex in the city.
At a programme on Sunday, when the art cafe celebrates its first anniversary, musician Shahabaz Aman will make the event melodious with his gazals.
Within a year, the art cafe has become a much sought after rendezvous for fine art buffs to exchange ideas to promote their talent. The cafe is now turning strangers into friends and also becoming a community by itself.
Cafe director Shenley said the space was inspiring fine art creativity. “It attracts art lovers and encourages and opens new perspectives for freedom of expression in them.”
He said captaining the cafe had been a wonderful experience. With a cafeteria, it is also a roof for a coffee table culture to promote fine arts.
An interaction between children and a couple from Odissha who arrived with a mobile library; the Mittai Theru programme that allowed children to play with colours and paint what they feel; a documentary on the life of pygmies of Africa by Anna Bohlmark; painting exhibitions; folk dances; and activities to protect the heritage of Kollam were among the activities organised by the cafe during the past one year.
Mr. Shenley said cinema screening on Saturdays had become a regular feature at the cafe. “The programmes in the pipeline for the coming year are promotion of a public art culture. Under this programme, the compound walls of the district jail will soon get a graffiti cover.”
The Little Free Library will also soon reach the cafe. Through this concept, 50 books will be kept in a shelf in the courtyard and readers can take any book without fee by keeping another book there so that the shelf will always have 50 books.
The book taken can be returned after reading. The cafe is supported by the District Tourism Promotion Council.
