Artist Sanjay Kumar (centre) presents a memento to international photographer BK Sinha as College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, principal Atul Aditya Pandey looks on at the inauguration ceremony of Sambhavna 3 on the institute campus on Friday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, March 25: A galaxy of artists descended on the state capital today to colour the world of art.

A seven-day-long art camp Sambhavna 3, an initiative of the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, alumnus Sanjay Kumar, was inaugurated on the institute premises today. Internationally acclaimed photographer B.K. Sinha did the honours.

Sanjay Kumar is a member of the 1988-batch of the college, same as noted installation artist Subodh Gupta.

Artists from both the state capital and outside have arrived to attend the seven-day camp. The speciality of the camp is that the artists will not be paid an honorarium as participation is voluntary.

A total of 18 painters — Anandi Prasad Badal, Bireswor Bhattacharjee, Shyam Sharma, Rajat Ghosh, Anil Sinha, Awadhesh Aman, Shailendra Kumar, Anil Bihari, Chandan Choudhary, Archana Kumari, Ajay Choudhary, Amresh Kumar, Manoj Bachchan, Abha Sinha, Birendra Kumar, Rakhi Kumari and Binod Kumar Gupta and Milan Das, who is also the co-ordinator — will attend the camp.

Principal of College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, Atul Aditya Pandey said: “It is great that a passout of the college has returned to give back to the place, which used to be his home for some time. So far, the college has produced many pearls. Of them, some have established themselves in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Baroda and other cities but may be the idea to give back to the college has not struck them yet. I will request them to do look back and do whatever they possibly can for the college. It will be a great step as every effort will count towards reviving the lost glory of our state.”

Pandey, however, said chief minister Nitish Kumar had visited the college and assured that though there are some problems, the basic requirements of the college, including permanent faculty, are on his list.

On Sanjay’s initiative, former principal of the college Shyam Sharma, said: “Although there are dozen artists, there are very few who are self-inspired and at the same time make an effort to inspire another artist through their work. Sanjay Kumar is one of them. His camp, Sambhavna 3, justifies its name that means possibility.”

Sharma also believed that the camp, which will provide interaction sessions between the artists and students of the art college, would be able to discover new talents.

Sharma also lamented the new generation’s idea that embellishments in their art would mitigate its beauty. He said interaction with artists at the camp would break their illusions.

On his brainchild, Sanjay said: “This camp is going to be beneficial for the budding artists of the state as they will get closer to the works of seniormost artists, who usually are confined to their studios. They can interact and exchange views with these artists.”

B.K. Sinha said: “In 1994, the college did not have a boundary wall and every mirror in the rooms were broken as children had made the campus their playground. Exhibitions could not be organised on the college premises as the children were found playing gilli danda.”

He added: “In 2000, the college erected a boundary wall as well as rooms that allowed a three-day national exhibition on the campus in 2006. However, the college still did not have a bathroom for the students. Now, the college is in a far better condition. Although the situation needs to be attended to, as the college still has no permanent faculty and the students are not provided the basic requirements.”