Art exhibition: First Lady lauds artists for their inspiring works

Jammu, February 11

Usha Vohra, First Lady, inaugurated the 51st Annual State Art Exhibition at the Kala Kendra here today.

Keenly viewing the paintings and sculptures, she said any work of art was best when the artist was able to give a meaningful expression to his thoughts and successfully transfer it to the viewer.

A keen photographer herself and an ardent art-lover, Usha Vohra lauded the exhibits, complimented the artists and urged them to continue their endeavours in their chosen fields.

She said for encouraging artists and enabling their survival, there was a need for exploring and organising marketing of their artistic creations. She also urged Dr Aziz Hajini, Secretary, JK Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, to ensure proper preservation of precious cultural heritage of the state.

In the artist category, she presented cash awards of Rs 51,000 each to Renu Bala and Rouf Qayasi for sculpture and painting, respectively. Ankit Sudan, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat and Subash Anand were given certificates of merit and consolation prizes of Rs 1,000 each.

In the students’ category Jaswinder Singh and Mohammad Yunus were given cash awards of Rs 10,000 each for painting and sculpture, respectively. Mohammad Sayeed Teli and Sachin Kumar were given certificates of merit and consolation prizes of Rs 1,000 each.

In his welcome address, Dr Hajini said the academy had received 129 entries, including 111 in the painting category and 18 in the sculpture category. — TNS