Govt nod to hold Chitra Santhe offline on March 27

The santhe organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat is all set to come back in full glory to Kumara Krupa Road after two years for its 19th edition

The famed Chitra Santhe organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat is all set to come back in full glory to Kumara Krupa Road after two years for its 19th edition on March 27.

This year, it is dedicated to freedom fighters in keeping with the 75th year of Independence. The stalls for the santhe will extend from Windsor Manor Circle to Shivananda Circle on Kumara Krupa Road and also parts of Crescent Road.

While the 17th Chitra Santhe ended on a high note, the 18th edition went online due to the pandemic.

This year, although there was confusion about whether the event will be held physically or virtually, the government has finally given the green signal for the event to be held offline. As it is tough to manage the event physically and virtually, the Parishat has decided to let go of the virtual format this year.

“Due to the Covid pandemic restrictions, many artists have gone into deep financial crisis. They appealed to us to hold the exhibition physically. That is why we took this risk to organise it this time,” said B L Shankar, president, KCP.

While around 1,300 artists, including 400 from other states, are expected to participate in the event, around three to four lakh spectators are expected at the venue.

During the 17th edition, the sale value was around Rs 3 crore, but the exact sale numbers are not available for the online 18th edition as the artists were directly connected to the buyers, the organisers said.

Reportedly, more than 11 lakh people visited the exhibition via various social media platforms.

Mysore and Tanjore traditional paintings, and Rajasthani and Madhubani style artworks are among the various forms of work that will be displayed and sold at the santhe. There will also be caricature and portrait artists whose work can be seen live. The works of selected artists will be exhibited in 12 galleries at KCP for 10 days.

Four artists will be conferred with the Chitrakala Samman Awards with a cash prize of Rs 50,000. One artist will be conferred the national award in the name of MS Nanjunda Rao, founder secretary, which will include a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

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