'Chitra Santhe' to be held on January 30

The event is expected to attract 2,000 amateur and professional artists from across the country, including 900 from Karnataka. As many as two lakh people are likely to visit the exhibition, M K Shankarlinge Gowda, Administrative Officer of the Parishat, told a press conference here on Thursday.

Hoping that the annual affair would help encourage young artists, Gowda said that, for the first time ever, artworks will also be displayed in all the four galleries of the Parishat.

As many as 60 well-known artists, including Yusuf Arakkal, Mani, Dr Murthy and Chandranath Acharya, have been invited to the event. Their exhibition will commence on January 29. The artworks will be priced between Rs 100 and Rs one lakh.

Last year, the Santhe did a business of Rs one crore. No tax will be levied on the artworks. Stalls will be allotted through a draw on January 29. Special arrangements will be made for the aged and the physically challenged artists.

A proposal to hold the second 'Chitra Santhe', at the 'Kala Grama' being set up on 14 acres on Uttarahalli Road, in October was being considered, Gowda said.