‘Smarananjali’ remembers painter prince Ravi Varma

Thiruvananthapuram: A programme titled ‘

Smarananjali

’ was organized to commemorate the 111the death anniversary of the renowned painter

Raja Ravi Varma

at Kilimanoor Palace on Monday. Minister A K Balan inaugurated the event, presided over by MP A Sampath.

“Raja Ravi Varma was among the pioneers of social renaissance, who introduced the fine arts to common man, which was earlier confined to palace walls and religious places. Kilimanoor, which is the native place of Raja Ravi Varma, does not have a good memorial for him. The government will construct an art gallery in Kilimanoor in his memory and a proposal for the project worth Rs 9 crore has been submitted by Lalitha Kala Akademi,” said A K Balan, minister for culture.

Raja Ravi Varma International Foundation for Art and Culture (RIFAC), instituted as a testimony to Ravi Varma’s life and contributions, was inaugurated by Samarjit Singh Gaekwad of Baroda royal family. Based in Kilimanoor Palace, RIFAC will be established as a centre for excellence for learning and promoting art and culture. Samarjit Singh Gaekwad, Justice K T Thomas and Padma Vibhushan recipient Dr M S Valiathan are the patrons of RIFAC.

Raja Ravi Varma was associated with Baroda royal family, after their invitation to paint the portrait of Sayajirao Gaekwad III in the 1880s, who was a patron of art. Many of his major works were completed during his stay in Baroda and exhibited in the palace of the royal family.

“The rapport shared by Sayajirao Gaekwad III and Raja Ravi Varma could be known through the liberty given to the renowned artist to make paintings of the women of the house, at a time when purdah system existed. My father Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, had authenticated nearly 15 paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, based on his knowledge of the work of the artist,” said Samarjit Singh Gaekwad.

A demonstration of Kalamezhuthu was conducted by Maruthayi Satheeshan Nambiar from Mattannur and an exhibition of paintings by members of descendants of Raja Ravi Varma was also arranged at the venue.

Samarjit Singh Gaekwad also presented the RIFAC Award to Swapna Augustine, a disabled artist. The ‘Raja Ravi Varma Bala Puraskaram’ instituted by Kerala Samskarika Chakravalam, a cultural organization based in Kannur, was presented by poet and press secretary of chief minister Prabha Varma to artists Chitraraj M V and Unnimaya T P in the event. tnn