post news network, Bhubaneswar, July 8: Numerous artists from across the nation Wednesday descended on the city to take part in a national-level art camp, especially designed to create paintings on the Lord Jagannath.
The three-day camp on ‘Darubrahma’ was organised by the Oriya daily Samaya and the Oriya TV news channel Zee Kalinga on the campus of the Press Club of Orissa. According to the organisers, 23 artists from different parts of the country are taking part in the event.
The event was inaugurated by Tathagata Satpathy, MP and Editor, Dharitri and Orissa POST, Wednesday morning in the presence of several dignitaries, artists, painting enthusiasts and media persons. Speaking on the occasion, the MP said, “Many rich and powerful people come into the world and depart unnoticed, but art and its creators are immortal. Their creations remain relevant and discussed even after they take leave of us and the world. I hope the camp will help the artists showcase their creations in front of the people of Orissa.”
Jayashish Roy, a senior journalist and treasurer of the Press Club of Orissa, also praised the organisers for the initiative taken by them to bring several artists from across the country under one roof. He said, “I am delighted to take part in the event. It gives me immense pleasure to be born in the state, which is rich in its culture and heritage. So many renowned artists have been born in this place and have earned recognition for their valuable works… . I hope the artists here will enrich that tradition.”
Organisers of the art camp expressed their gratitude to the plethora of artists, who gathered at the venue to take part in the event. Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, Ranjib Biswal, Managing Editor of Samaya said, “Orissa is rich in cultural heritage. Famous places of Orissa such as, Puri and Konark are repositories of our artistic heritage. I am delighted to welcome the artists who have come here to take part in the event in the state. These together make a bunch of talented painters and artists, who will in the next few days, exhibit their creations in the camp.”
Biswal also expressed his desire to hold an International Painting League much in the lines of the Indian Premier League that has caught the imagination of cricket organisers all over the world, to make the art and craft of the country appreciated at the international level.
That the artists coming from other states were equally enthusiastic about their participation in the camp became clear from their warm reaction to the vibrant artistic culture and tradition of Orissa. Pranam Singh, a painter from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, said, “The rich art and culture of Orissa are evident in the tourist sites of the state. We can easily spot the use of art at the various sites across the state. I came here to take part in the national-level camp to draw some paintings on Lord Jagannath.”
Artists from the state, including D N Rao, Manas Jena among others, were present during the inaugural ceremony. Organisers of the event said that they were planning to take the paintings made at this event to the several art exhibitions in the metropolitan cities across the country to popularise paintings on the Lord Jagannath.
