A rare, unique chance for hidden talents

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  The K R Narayanan Memorial Student Amenity Center on Kerala University Senate House Campus in Palayam was shining with artistic works of employees of various departments. The second edition of the Ishika art exhibition by Dhamani a cultural organisation of employees of the university was held here. 

“There are many talented people among our employees. The art exhibition was organised to help them showcase their skills. Though Dhamani has conducted many cultural events in the past, this one was more diverse,” said pro-vice-chancellor P P Ajayakumar, who has also exhibited 26 charcoal paintings. 
Ajaykumar also exhibited portraits of personalities such as Che Guevara and veteran poet O N V Kurup at the show.

The works here included watercolour, pencil, acrylic paintings and drawings, and several bottle arts. However, most artworks were contributed by women. “I started drawing in the initial days of the pandemic by watching YouTube videos. The exhibition here helped me analyse my hidden skills and understand how talented my colleagues are,” said Sreelekha A, a university official. 

The drawings have been a stress reliever for most of the staff. “These works are just randomly done. Time has always been a hurdle for us, but I am sure we will put more effort into our work for next year’s expo,” said Manoj Kumar M S, an assistant engineer, whose ball pen paintings are a sight to see.

According to secretary of Dhamani, Santhosh G Nair, there were barely 10 participants in the earlier days. 
“But this year, more staff became interested when we announced the programme. Dhamani has motivated staff to start something they have forgotten or left out due to their tight schedule. The employees also conducted various cultural programmes,” Santhosh added.

“The university is also planning to add more courses. We plan to begin a Design department soon. The institution is also planning to initiate a staff day,” says the pro-VC.

The seven-day exhibition concluded on Tuesday.