Mysore/Mysuru: Regretting that standards in Lalithakala Academies and other Art Colleges are on the decline nowadays, former Administrative Officer of Kendra Lalithakala Academy C.S. Krishna Shetty bemoaned that newspapers too are not giving priority for art reviews and analysis.

He was speaking at the Fellowship conferment programme organised by Karnataka Lalithakala Academy at Mini Theatre in Kalamandira premises here on Saturday.

Pointing out that Kendra and Karnataka Lalithakala Academies have been functioning for the past six decades, Krishna Shetty opined that though there are many problems in the field of arts, no one is taking any initiative to make organised efforts to get the issues addressed.

Maintaining that non-artistes have gained positions in Kendra Lalithakala Academy and other such Academies, he said that no one seems to oppose such appointments. Noting that an individual-centric attitude seems to be the reason for this, he said that a social-centric attitude holds key for finding solutions to the problems that the Academies are facing.

Continuing, Krishna Shetty said that COVID-induced lockdown has taught us a new way of life. Maintaining that Karnataka has a good number of Internationally reputed artistes, he regretted that those who have genuine international recognition are not getting their due in the State. Contending that newspapers of today are not giving priority for art reviews, he wanted Lalithakala Academy to bring out books and encourage art critics.

Objecting to the tendency to categorise artistes as Leftists and Rightists, he stressed on the need for sustaining Pluralism in our society.

Former Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi Chairman Dr. Pradhan Gurudatta opined that Fine Arts Colleges in Universities across the State, including University of Mysore (UoM), are in a state of neglect and the Government should take measures for addressing the problems faced by them.

Karnataka Lalithakala  Academy Chairman D. Mahendra, in his address, said that the appointees to the Academy should work towards protecting the interests of artistes. Senior Ganjifa artiste of the city Ganjifa Raghupati Bhat expressed concern over the declining number of native language cinemas. He called for making more number of Kannada, Sanskrit and other local language cinemas.

Veteran artistes Vijaya Sindhoora of Vijayapura, G. Kandan of Mangaluru and Raghupati Bhat of Mysuru were conferred Rs. 2 lakh Honorary Fellowship, while Junior artistes Dimple B. Shah and Manjunath V. Kalledevaru of Bengaluru, K. Suresh of Mysuru, Ninganagouda C. Patil of Vijayapura and Jagannath Bellad of Kalaburagi were distributed student scholarship on the occasion.