NGMA celebrates 'Kala Kumbh - Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'
The 'National Gallery of Modern Art' (NGMA), New Delhi celebrated 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' with 'Kala Kumbh',
which is the artist workshops for painting scrolls measuring approximately 750 metres. These scrolls represent the tales of valour of unsung heroes of India's freedom movement.
The works of art done on the gigantic scrolls, which will be placed artistically at Rajpath, will form an integral part of the Republic Day celebrations 2022. It will mark a unique collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Defence.
These scrolls analyse the potential of art to express national pride and excellence with varied forms of art from diverse geographical locations of the country. The celebration of the true essence of 'Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat' was visible in these workshops, where the rich diversity of our country in its cultural aspects was witnessed while
portraying the heroic lives and struggles of unsung heroes of
India's freedom movement. These have been diligently researched upon and painted enthusiastically by more than 500 artists spread over two locations, Odisha and Chandigarh.
Aligning with the flagship program of the Ministry of Culture, the aspect of collaborations and collective work has been outlined in these workshops. At Odisha, NGMA collaborated with 'Kalinga Institute of Technology' and 'Silicon Institute of Technology' in Bhubaneswar from December 11, 2021 - December 17, 2021. At Chandigarh, the collaboration was done with 'Chitkara University' from December 25, 2021 - January 2, 2022.
'Kala Kumbh' reflects the essence of unity in diversity while also analysing the initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and its achievements. The scrolls painted in these workshops may be seen as an embodiment of all that is progressive about India's socio-cultural identity, which has been imparted prominence on the large-scale scrolls as per the artistic vision of Adwait Garanayak, Director-General, NGMA and mentored by eminent senior artists.
10 gigantic scrolls portray the tales of valour and the legacy of the unsung heroes of India's freedom struggle. Inspiration has also been drawn from the creative illustrations in the Constitution of India wherein the artistic elements painted by Nandalal Bose and his team has imparted a distinctive appeal along with several representations from the indigenous arts of India.
These artist workshops, which have been a huge success, were visited by several students at both venues. NCC cadets, Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, SM, Chief of Staff, HQ Western Command and other officials from the Ministry of Defence graced the workshop at Chandigarh.
The closing ceremony of 'Kalakumbh' at Chandigarh was graced by Banwari Lal Purohit, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of UT Chandigarh and at Bhubaneshwar by Member of Parliament, Achutya Samanta, who is also the founder of KIIT and KISS.
"I believe that the gigantic scrolls when displayed at Rajpath will garner the interest of each individual to delve deep into the history of the unsung heroes of India's freedom struggle and would also draw attention towards the unified visual aspects of modern, indigenous and contemporary arts of India", mentioned Adwaita Garanayak, Director-General, NGMA.
