Six-day long mega artists’ workshop – ‘Kala Kumbh’ - at KISS to celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and the heroic lives and struggles of unsung heroes of India’s freedom movement concluded on 17th December 2021. Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) & Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) signed an MoU with the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India recently to work jointly to protect, preserve and promote tribal art, craft, stories and culture through research and documentation, exhibitions of contemporary artworks, seminars, conferences, and exchange visits for the tribal artisans. This is the first of its kind in India.

Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS; Adwaita Gadanayak, DG, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, Sh. Harshvardhan Sharma, Chairman, Advisory Committee, NGMA; Himanshu Khatua, Eminent Film Maker and Prof. S. S. Ray, Director, School of Architecture and Planning, KIIT University joined as guests and appreciated the creativity of the artists. 

On the occasion Dr. Samanta, said, it is a matter of pride for Odisha that such a mega artistic workshop has been organized at KIIT & KISS. Odisha is well known for its rich Art. It is a privilege for KIIT & KISS to join this event, he added. He expressed special thanks to Mr Gadanayak for his initiative to organize this event at KIIT & KISS. 

The workshop marks a unique collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Defence and similar workshops will also be held in other parts of the country, informed Mr. Gadanayak. “It intended to showcase our rich cultural heritage of indigenous and contemporary visual art practices, focusing on diverse geographical locations of India. It was an embodiment of all that is progressive about India’s socio-cultural, political and economic identity, which was intended to be prominently represented on the large scale”, he stated.

It aims to creatively showcase the legacy of India’s freedom struggle and national pride on five scrolls of 75 meters, which will form an integral part of the Republic Day celebrations 2022. Artists from across India including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, north-east and Andhra Pradesh participated with artistic expressions reflecting the indigenous forms of art such as Pattachitra, Talapatrachitra, Manjusa, Madhubani and Jadupatua to name a few. KIIT & KISS supported all artists by providing accommodation and transportation facilities. Mr. Harshvardhan Sharma, Chairman, Advisory Committee, NGMA; eminent artists Mr. Ramahari Jena and Mr. Veejayant Das were also the coordinators and mentors of the event.

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