India Art Festival opens, displays art by Tihar inmates, disabled

Just as the Indian art circuit gathers for a domestic art festival at the Thyagaraj Stadium here starting Thursday, at least three booths break away from the convention to display works by Tihar inmates, visually impaired children and an artist with hearing disability.

The fourth city version of India Art Festival (IAF), presenting over 3,500 artworks by 35 art galleries and 550 artists, was inaugurated by Lalit Kala Akademi chairman Uttam Pacharne, Prasar Bharti Additional DG Raj Sekhar Tyagi and Tihar Jail Superintendent Rajesh Chauhan.

"It started with four-five Tihar inmates sketching and drawing, when they were spotted by the jail administration. To encourage them, the Superintendent contacted instructors who teach them.

"Now, there are over 200 inmates who learn painting, and over 20 have mastered it in less than two years" Suraj, who teaches art at Tihar, told IANS.

Pointing to beautifully done Buddha, Ganesha and Saraswati paintings and sketches, Suraj said the artworks are also exhibited in an in-house gallery in west Delhi-based Tihar Jail.

"These festivals come handy because it's important to exhibit the art outside the Tihar gallery," the former College of Art student said.

Another booth catching the eye is one by non-profit trust Inside Me, that has on display drawings and crayon works by young visually-impaired school children.

"They have geometry classes, but what a circle and a triangle is, that concept is absent in the children," arts trainer and the trust's founder Shivani Bhardwaj told IANS.

"Many of them hold crayons for the first time. For drawing faces, they just know we have two eyes and one nose and mouth each. Sometimes, they ask me how eyes look like."

Bhardwaj, who teaches over 40 blind children, uses paper and embossed surfaces for a a tactile way of learning.

What's interesting is that she has priced them as low as a rupee, so that the drawings reach more living rooms.

Another participating artist in the fair is Apoorv Om, whose pencil colour works depict Swami Vivekananda, PM Narendra Modi and many Indian architectural marvels.

Om, a speech-and hearing-disabled artist can speak faintly. His voice may not stand out among the galore of exhibits, but his zeal does.

The art festival, featuring 124 booths, is expected to cross the previous visitor count of 30,000 people, festival director Rajendra said.

He added that the festival gives equal space for galleries and an artists' pavillion, given the soaring numbers of people taking to art.

The four-day festival concludes on Sunday. The entry is free for the public.

--IANS

sj/prs