It was one of those impromptu things you decide on the spur of the
moment. Last Sunday, J got a call from one of his friends that he was
at the art mela at Kumara Krupa road and thought that he should
inform us, just in case we were interested, which we happened to be. Since we were anyway headed North that afternoon to drop off our friends at a hotel very close to the mela venue, J and I readily agreed and decided to head North, to where the famous Chitra Santhe was being held.
Namma Bengaluru has seen this event been regularly held for the past 13 years, aiming to make art a part of our everyday life and introducing affordable visual art to everyone. It is a one-day event that features artists from all over the cuntry, where they get to showcase their work to the public.
As we approached the venue, it was apparent that the place was buzzing with people from all walks of life and all ages trying to jostle their way in, to peep in, to be able to see, appreciate and sometimes bargain, before they bought the range of work on display.
A few of them were even seen getting their on-the-spot portrait sketches done. A number of food vendors were busy catering to the hungry crowd, selling all kinds of street food, from fruits and ‘chaats’ to ice creams and steamed corn, the ambience akin to a typical ‘mela’.
The range of art from drawings, paintings and graphic prints to miniature paintings and sculptures was just amazing. It was heartening to see so many talented art students from various parts of India participating alongside experienced artists from the country and abroad – all equally eager to display their work and sell them at what was extremely reasonable rates, with a few exceptions, of course. No middlemen involved, as it is a direct interaction between the buyer and the seller – perfect win-win situation both ways.
Sad to say, we couldn’t cover all of the exhibits as time was running out. I wish we didn’t have to head back home to attend to the pending homework (yes, it was the very last day of the school vacations with just enough time to finish the work!!!)
As we drove down the road, we felt richer by four exceptionally beautiful art works, looking forward to a home-cooked lunch and savouring our moments at the art mela!
Wow! So cool that you had a chance to attend. I’ve never been to one. Next time we could go together 🙂 The pictures you’ve got are great! I’m sure the art was awesome too.
Oh, sure Parul, we could do that next time 🙂 It was an experience worth savouring…truly a great display of talent!!
After visiting Grounds for Sculpture last year, i started loving Art and appreciating Abstract Art.
Some fabulous works you captured. A visit is a great stress-buster too!
That sounds good!Art is something one can appreciate at any age! I think it transcends all kinds of barriers when it connects artists across cultures and nations to common people. I was able to capture only a few…so much more was left out due to shortage of time 🙁