Game for some art at the Commonwealth Games

The art fraternity wants to make the best out of the Commonwealth Games that will be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14. From art exhibitions to rallies, special shows to installations, they have planned it all during the Games.

Recently former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev’s NGO Khushii got 11 artists including Dileep Sharma, Jagannath Panda, George Martin, Paresh Maity, Naina Kanodia, Jayshree Burman and Mithu Sen to paint rickshaws. These paintings will be a part of one of the VIP rallies at the games. Dileep says, “These rickshaws are a part of the charity auction organised by Khushii every year. These will be auctioned in May and will become a part of this prestigious rally.”

The Lalit Kala Akademi, one of the oldest art organisations in Delhi, has also planned an interesting exhibition to coincide with the Games. Ashok Vajpayee, the president of the Akademi, says, “We are planning to show a specially curated art exhibition which will focus on sports. Through this exhibition we are going to trace the relevance of games and sports in the miniature paintings and also in contemporary artworks.”

Even private galleries in Delhi are taking a lot of interest in organising special shows. Renu Modi of Gallery Espac says, “About 5-6 big galleries in the city are in the process of organising exciting and collective art projects.”

Even the government of India has decided to play an active role in promoting Indian art. Kewal Sharma, principal secretary with the Public Works Department (PWD), says, “We will be displaying public art in the form of sculptures and installations at various locations.

Architect Pradeep Sachdev says, “The plan is to show artworks made of things that are environment-friendly — to prove that the city cares for nature.”