Bhubaneswar, Jan. 6: Around 16 artists from across the country are in the city for a three-day art camp at Lalit Kala Akademi here as part of Odisha Utsav, a festival of art, literature and sports, being organised by Tata Steel.

Around 50 students from various art colleges are also taking part in the camp and are interacting with the artists about the nuances of painting.

The camp aims to promote the pursuit of art by amateurs, professionals and students by providing everyone a common platform to learn, discuss and practise art.

Artists such as Jatin Das, Manas Jena, Bipin Martha, Lalatendu Rath, Helen Brahma and Aliya Maryam are among those taking part in the camp.

Jatin Das urged the participants to preserve the state's rich tradition of art and culture. He said: "It is everyone's responsibility - artists, government and corporate houses - to come together and work towards conserving the heritage of the state."

"There are many artists in the state's interior regions and they don't get enough opportunities to showcase their talent. Such camps will allow them to interact with eminent artists and share ideas," said Das Murmu, an artist from Jeypore in Koraput district.

Aliya Maryam's art will be an abstract mix of her conscious and subconscious.

"The camp is an opportunity for me to interact with artists from across the nation and share ideas. I am also enjoying the interactions with the students and listening to their views," said Aliya, who is based in New Delhi.

For the students, the interactive session was a boost to their aesthetic interests. "I am getting to know about the various techniques of using brushes and brushstrokes. It is a great learning experience," said Dhaneswar Paramanik, a BK College of Art and Crafts student.

The camp will conclude tomorrow and will be followed by a two-day literary festival on January 9 and 10.

Personalities such as Dinanath Pathy, Devdutt Pattanaik, Sarnath Banerjee, Yajnaseni Chakraborty, Kunal Basu and Derek O'Brien will deliver lectures on a variety of issues, including culture and the digital world, politics, water wars, Netaji and the destiny of the east, among others.

Tata Steel has also signed a MoU with the state's sports and youth services department to organise a half-marathon on January 10. This would be a regular event every year to commemorate National Youth Sports Day.