Colours, creativity, celebration: Chitra Santhe kicks off 21st edition of its arts festivities

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 740 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

Bengaluru’s Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath is one of the leading hubs of arts and crafts in the city. It houses 19 galleries out of which 14 galleries host permanent collections. But one of the jewels in its crown is the annual Chitra Santhe, regarded as one of India’s largest street celebrations of art.

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Held on the first Sunday of January each year, over 1,500 artists attract around half a million visitors for a showcase of creativity at the festival. See our coverage of the last nine editions of Chitra Santhe here.

Traffic is banned for the entire day on Kumara Krupa Road, but this year complementary rides from the nearby Metro stations are being arranged by Namma Yatri. The 21st edition of the festival is the second one after the virtual edition during the pandemic.

The festival was inaugurated this morning by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and showcases the work of artists from 22 states. This year’s edition is dedicated to the achievements of Indian scientists in space research and related activities, and includes dedicated spaces for specially-abled artists and senior citizen artists.

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Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is also operating metro feeder services all day at reduced fares. Many social media users posted their appreciation of this gesture to make it easier for the public to attend the festival.

In this photo essay, we showcase the diverse works of artists from across the country. In subsequent articles, we will share artist insights on creativity, festival impact on artists and audiences, and their future initiatives.

Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?

(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the festival.)

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