Mecca of artists, Fine Arts College in ruin

INDORE: Government Institute of Fine Arts of Indore, which has been the fountainhead of Indore’s art scene for more than 86 years, and has produced artistic prodigies like MF Husain, NS Bendre, DJ Joshi and Vishnu Chinchalkar, is now a picture of crumbling walls.
Founded in 1927 by the Holkars to promote art education and commenced under the guidance of DD Deolalikar, this institute is an inevitable part of Indore’s art landscape.
Principal Shashikant Mundi said, “We had to shift from the old building because of infrastructural problems. We have been functioning in the current building since October 2012, which has been allotted by IDA. We pay a monthly rent of about Rs 1 lakh for the same.”
When asked about the restoration plans for the old structure, he said, “We made an estimate for restoration and put forth our problems during a meeting with the culture department of state government in May. We haven’t heard anything so far.”
Avdesh Yadav, a renowned artist from the college, said, “We should draw examples from states like Maharashtra, where there is a separate directorate of art for management of art schools. We must bring together eminent alumni from our regions, who want to work towards the cause of saving our art scenario.” Yadav said the old college building has a good foundation and is architecturally constructed for artworks, with its high ceilings and big halls. “Local administration should work on repair and protect it from encroachment before planning any restoration work,” he added.
Akhilesh Verma, a senior artist and an ex-student of the college said, “My heart bleeds to see that the very college in which I spent my years learning art is at its worst today. This deterioration is not just a result of negligence by government, but also a lack of motivation among the artistic community and art lovers.” He added that people of the city are not even aware of the fact that artists from this crumbling heritage have contributed so much to the national and international art scene.