VETERANS & FIRST-TIMERS KEEP A DATE WITH DAY 1 OF CIMA ART MELA 2017
TT Bureau
Published 25.11.17, 12:00 AM
Krishnendu Ghosh, a telecom professional, has been queuing up outside CIMA Gallery on the last weekend of every November for the past four years. And he’s been the first in that line three years running, even if that means getting there at 6.30am!
Meet the art enthusiasts of Calcutta who wake up earlier than usual, bunk work, and stand in a queue just to get first dibs on the artwork on display at CIMA Art Mela, the 2017 edition of which opened at 11am on Friday.
While art by senior artists like Jogen Chowdhury, Paresh Maity, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Ramananda Bandyopadhyay and Suhas Roy are what the early birds vie for, it’s more camaraderie than competition that rules among the first-day regulars at the Art Mela .
“We have been doing this for years now, and most have become friends, it’s like our yearly reunion,” said Subhobrata Ghosh, from Dover Lane.
There were some new faces in the line too. Sanjay and Vibha Kejriwal arrived at 10.30am because they did not want to repeat last year’s mistake. “Most of the paintings we wanted were gone because we didn’t come in on the first day. This time we didn’t want to make the same mistake, so here we are,” said Sanjay, who hoped to pick up some Paresh Maity and Lalu Prasad Shaw.
Many in the Day 1 crowd, like Krishnendu, were looking forward to being back before Art Mela ends on Sunday, November 26, to browse at a more leisurely pace.
(L-R) Early birds Pradip Maity, Subhobrata Ghosh, Sanjay and Vibha Kejriwal, Krishnendu Ghosh, Ghanshyam and Priyash Mundhra, Nivedita Dutta Basu and Krishna Ray waited outside CIMA Gallery for the shutters to go up on Art Mela 2017.
The race to the senior artists’ corner began as soon as the gates opened, but instead of the mad dash, the first-day firsts settled on power walking.
Krishnendu may have been the first to reach the senior artists’ corner but what he picked up was a piece by Shakila. “I have built up quite a collection of senior artists from here and now I am ready to expand my horizons. I have learnt about what I like and developed an eye for art. So I went for what I wanted instead of running after signatures. That is something that CIMA has taught me,” said Krishnendu.
The senior artists’ corner was, as usual, the busiest area for the first half an hour after opening with everyone hoping to get their pick.
The youngest buyer of the morning was 15-year-old Marishka Bhandari, who picked up a painting by Paresh Maity. “I like his work and have books on it. I wanted the red one I saw in t2 but that wasn’t available, so I chose another,” said the student of The Heritage School who is a painter herself and likes working with watercolour. “This is the first painting of what we hope will be her collection,” said mom Preeti, who is also into art.
Rashi Kankaria, a children’s photographer, bought seven works by artists like Hemant Rao, Pappu Bardhan and Sonal Varshneya. “I love collecting all kinds of artwork. I have been coming to CIMA Art Mela for the last four or five years. For me it is not just about hanging them in the drawing room but also inside my wardrobe. It’s a great feeling when you open the wardrobe door and see the painting first,” said Rashi.
Sunita Kumar dropped in with Ted Dexter, former England cricket captain, and his wife Susan Longfield (not in picture). “This is a great opportunity for those who enjoy art. It is very nicely done. I told my guests that they should not miss Art Mela, so I brought them with me,” said Sunita.
Subhobrata Ghosh picked up a painting by Suhas Roy. “I wanted to buy artwork by someone who will not be so readily available a few years later,” said Subhobrata. His reason for coming to Art Mela every year since 2010? “You can buy art online today, but there is something incomparable about being surrounded by art.”
Professor Krishna Ray, who was eagerly waiting in the queue with her daughter, was in search of artwork to add to their collection. “I love keeping paintings at home and I am very fond of folk art. Thankfully there wasn’t a race this morning, so we could all browse peacefully,” said Krishna, who bought works by Sanatan Dinda and Shakila.
Text: Chandreyee Chatterjee and Malancha Dasgupta
Pictures: Rashbehari Das and Pabitra Das
