Mysore/Mysuru: Ahead of Dasara festival, District Minister S.T. Somashekar inaugurated a 10-day  State-level Sculpture and Painting camp by chiselling a wooden block at Suchitra Art Gallery in Kalamandira premises here yesterday.

The camp has been organised by Dasara Fine Arts and Crafts Sub-Committee in association with Karnataka Shilpakala Academy  and will conclude on Sept. 25.

Speaking on the occasion, Somashekar said that artists, both junior and senior, will be taking part in this 10-day State-level camp. He wished the camp all success.

Mayor Shivakumar, who also spoke, said that painting and sculpture arts are slowly fading away. As such it has become inevitable to save them from vanishing and this camp will certainly help in their promotion, he added.

Sculptors, who are taking part in the camp, include Jakanachari, Subramanyaraje Urs, Vinayak, B.S. Sunil, V.K.  Raghavendra, Prashant Gudigar, Nagaraj Badiger, Raghavendra, Chandan and R. Kantharaj.

Painters taking part are Krishna Jingade, Gangadhar Mayachari, M.P. Deepak Kumar, Harsha, Manjunath Wali, Achhutananda, Lokesh, Veena Gowda, H. Shivakumar, Jayashri, Santosh, P.Nagaraj, Nagashayana, N. Rashmi and Shivanna.

ZAK Chairman M. Shivakumar, DC Dr. Bagadi Gautham, Dasara Fine Arts and Crafts Sub-Committee Special Officer Vijaykumar, Kannada and Culture Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy, Department of Mines and Geology senior Geologist B. Rashmi and other officials were present.