Prized Possession

There was a palpable buzz at the Indian International Centre auditorium on Monday.

There was a palpable buzz at the Indian International Centre auditorium on Monday. And then,Syed Haider Raza,the master painter,dressed in a spotless white kurta pyjama,with a wide smile on his face,was wheeled into the auditorium. The occasion was Raza Samman,an award instituted this year to honour talent in art. The winner was multimedia artist,Manjunath Kamath,who too,was fittingly attired in white.

The first edition of the Raza Samman,which carries a cash prize of five lakh rupees,has been instituted by the Jawaharlal Darda Foundation in Nagpur to commemorate the initial art training that Raza received in his hometown. The land that gave me the Bindu and the Nada also instilled in me the love for the country, said Raza. I am happy that my works have touched the common man and it was important that I return to my motherland, said the 89-year-old,the only surviving member of the Progressive Artist Group.

Kamath could barely conceal his excitement. He said he was thrilled with the award and would use the money to bridge the gap between art and crafts. I do not want to open an NGO,but form a personal organisation that will work with students from art colleges; those with a leaning towards traditional arts. I plan to do this in order to help them work as assistants to craftsmen in Orissa,Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, said Kamath. He has been planning this project for the last two years and now has found the means. This is the right time to start this project. I have had a lot of exposure to craft since my childhood and it has influenced even my most minimalistic works indirectly. I don’t see why we need to constantly look at the West for validation or inspiration, said Kamath,who is planning the apprenticeship to last for four to six months. It is important to provide a platform where both the artist and the craftsmen have no hierarchy between them. We use so many things from them but we never give anything back. So I want a kind of jugalbandi between them, concludes Kamath.

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