Bangalore: Parts of Bangalore still retain their original charm of the days when it was a "Garden City". These areas are a delight for the artist or a photographer. Now, the visual artists of Bangalore have come together to revitalise the art scene. They plan to do this through a project named "Ananya Drushya", which is part of "Ananya", a trust set up in 1995 to promote arts.

Well-known artist S.G. Vasudev who is its founder-trustee, says: "Ananya Drushya is an artist-led initiative and will conduct outreach programmes for schoolchildren to develop art awareness. Programmes in art appreciation for educational institutions and others and developing an archive of visual art, the Ananya Sanghraha in Malleswaram are among our activities."

To raise funds to run these activities, Ananya Drushya approached over 70 artists of Bangalore to donate their paintings. The exhibition, "Art and The City", will showcase all the donated works. Ravi Cavale, an industrialist of the city, has come forward to support the initiative by acquiring all artworks.

The exhibition will be held at Venkatappa Art Gallery from March 10 to 17 and will be inaugurated by Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor M.S. Thimmappa. Writer U.R. Ananthamurthy will be present.

During the week, there will be interactive sessions between artists and children, an art appreciation programme and a discussion with educationists. The event is expected to help both children and their teachers learn to appreciate art. A city is many things to many and an artist or a writer has his or her own way of capturing images for posterity.

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