Chitra Santhe witnesses over 5 lakh visitors this year

Kumara Krupa Road was decked up with paintings, murals, decor and more, while traffic was halted and lakhs of art appreciators made a beeline to Chitra Santhe, the annual arts festival organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), in Bengaluru on Sunday. Around 1,500 artists from 20 states displayed and sold their works at the festival, that is estimated to have witnessed footfall of over 5 lakh this time. 

Flagging off the event, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasised on the importance of appreciating artists. “Just as we spend money on various things, we should also invest in artwork for our homes,” he said. 

Traditional paintings in Mysore and Tanjore, Rajasthani and Madhubani styles, and various other traditional, modern, and contemporary artworks were available at the santhe. What caught the attention of many were stalls put up by senior citizens and the one by Nirashrithara Parihara Kendra (NPK) hand-printed selling frames of the Preamble to the Constitution. Other attractions included many pottery works, caricatures, photo booths, temporary tattoos for children and adults, face painting, pencil carvings, jewellery, handicrafts, food stalls and more. 

Vidya P., an artist selling frames of handmade paintings in different styles at a stall, said that she was selling most of her art at low costs and that the sales have been average this year. “I try not to increase the price to more than what the customer or art lover quotes because they see art very differently from the artists. At the end of the day, our art is being appreciated and that is all we need,” she said.  

“We hardly know artists around us. It is easy to identify a popular actor or singer, but not a popular artist. There are thousands of artists here who deserve more recognition. We need festivals or fairs like Chitra Santhe to be more popularised, for such well deserving artists,” Arpita Rajpurohit, a visitor, said. 

Meanwhile, Chitra Samman awards were also bestowed on senior artists from Karnataka including A. Ramakrishnappa, M.S. Murthy, G.L. Bhatt. Nirmala Kumari C.S., and Surya Prakash Gowda on Saturday. 

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