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Regular-article-logo Sunday, 12 April 2026

Look back at Art Mela 

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TT Bureau Published 28.11.17, 12:00 AM

WHAT THEY LIKED

“My house is absolutely full but I am picking out stuff for friends,” said Aparna Sen, browsing the Bengal patachitra display on Day 1 of CIMA Art Mela. What makes her keep coming back? “The collection here is fantastic and very affordable and I feel happy that so many people are introduced to these artists through CIMA,” added the filmmaker-actress. 
“Art Mela has put Calcutta on the international art scene. The variety and rich artwork available here is just fantastic. I love patachitra and tribal art,” said professor Kalyan Ray, who picked up two Swarna Chitrakar pieces and one Kaushik Raha.
US consul-general Craig L. Hall browsed the artwork along with wife Meeryung on Sunday afternoon. “The variety and the reasonable pricing make this a unique experience,” said Craig, who has recently taken to making oil paintings.
(L-R) School friends Sabina Agarwal and Laily Thompson were lost in thought. “I live in London and have heard a lot about CIMA Art Mela. I want to take back an artwork that will remind me of Calcutta and I am really confused because there are so many to choose from,” said Laily, who zeroed in on a Kali painting by Chandrima Roy.

THE REGULARS

Arjun Mukherjee, executive creative director at JWT, makes it a point to visit Art Mela if he is in Calcutta and this year he brought his colleague Urmi Roy with him. “A variety of artwork, that too at an affordable price, is the best part of the Art Mela. Every year I come with a budget but I invariably exceed it,” said Arjun, who picked up works by Sadikul Islam for his new flat.
Pulak Saha, partner at PwC, came looking for both senior artists and new ones and settled for two pieces by Asim Pal. “I try to come on the first day so that I don’t miss out on the good ones. What I love about Art Mela is that they not only keep the big names but also encourage new artists and who knows, they might go on to become big down the years!” said Saha, who came in as soon as Art Mela opened on Friday.
Kankana Raha (right), an Art Mela regular, had a tough time making up her mind as she browsed with her aunt for company. “I paint a lot in my free time and I admire the works of Ramananda Bandyopadhyay, Samir Aich and Abanindranath Tagore, and this is probably my fifth year at Art Mela,” said the psychology student who finally decided on a Samir Aich mixed media. 
Apala Dasgupta loves picking up pieces from Art Mela for her house in New Delhi. “I work in Calcutta and so have been coming to the Art Mela for the past six years. The variety available here, coupled with the affordability, makes me keep coming back,” said Apala, in the middle of clicking pictures of the artwork to send to her husband to choose. Her final choice was an acrylic Parvati and Ganesh artwork by Karunamoy Sur. 

THE YOUNG ONES

Srijoni Manna, a third-year student of University of Engineering & Management, picked up a Swarna Chitrakar artwork on Day 1. “The tribal painting caught my eye and it’s perfect for our drawing room,” said Srijoni who came with her sister.
Nripesh Agarwal, a Class VII student of La Martiniere for Boys, spent his Saturday at Art Mela. First he dropped in with mom Varshika and picked up an artwork by Rajamohan Das and was soon back with dad, Sumit. “I come with my parents every year to pick up some artwork and mostly I am the one choosing. I love Madhubani paintings, landscapes and figures,” said Nripesh.
Nibedita Ghosal, who turns nine next month, came with mother Roop to get herself a birthday gift. “I love animals and so I picked this one,” said Nibedita, holding up her Dolonchapa Ganguly piece. 
Students of Sri Sri Academy came down to Art Mela on Day 1 armed with notebooks. And as pointed out by their art teacher, they got busy taking notes on what they discovered. 
“CIMA is such an institution that I had to come and check out their collection. If an artist’s work is here, then he or she has to be taken note of,” said art adviser Nivedita Poddar. Her favourites? Gourishankar Soni and Sumitro Basak.
Visiting the Art Mela is becoming an annual ritual for this dad-daughter duo. “My daughter Harshada, 6, is interested in art, so I started bringing her here with me for the last three years,” said Mukund Subba, who picked up a watercolour by Sadikul Islam. 

THE BIG SCORERS 

Businessman Alok Agarwal and wife Manju like playing around with the artwork at home. “Little changes in the house are refreshing. We change the paintings and art pieces instead of furniture. Each artist has their own style and once you start collecting art, you get addicted to it,” said Alok, who bought eight pieces by artists like Rabin Mondal and Jayasri Burman.
First-timer Nivedita Dutta Basu, a doctor, picked up six paintings on the first day and came back on Day 2 for more! “I have slowly developed a taste for artwork, all thanks to my artist friends. I got to know about Art Mela from them. The variety and affordability are a boost for amateur art collectors like us,” said Nivedita, who bought works by Suhas Roy, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Atin Basak and Subrata Gangopadhyay.
This was Sherry and Alok Khetan’s first Art Mela visit. “We are from Gurgaon, so could never attend this but we’ve heard a lot about it from my mum. We ended up buying six pieces by artists like Chandrima Roy and Sadikul Islam. This is called instant happiness! We hope to catch this exhibition in the coming years,” said Sherry, who plans to gift one of the artwork to her mum. 

Text: Malancha Dasgupta and Anannya Sarkar
Pictures: Pabitra Das and Rashbehari Das

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