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 About nine kms from
Chennai, nestling amidst a casuarina
grove and within a stone’s throw from the emerald blue waters of the Bay of Bengal,
lies an artist’s village, Cholamandal. Surrounded by an old decrepit and sparsely
populated village – Injambakkam, it is today the hub of thirty painters and sculptors
who have formed the village and run the Artists Handicrafts Association on well-oiled
wheels.Thirty-two years before, this idyllic locale was noman’s land –
unhabited, with a stretch of sand and luscious casuarina plantations dotting the
landscape.
"In the 1960s we had no outlet for artists to exhibit
or pursue a career in arts," mentions Senathipathi, the present President of
Cholamandal. More so, the students after the completion of their graduation joined some
job and were gradually lost in the crowd." So forty students of the Arts and Crafts
College of Madras got together and resolved to create their own environment, wherein they
could retain their freedom and devote their life to art.
 The Principal of the institution at that time was the late
K.C.S.Paniker. He had already started his search for an art, as he described it,
"Indian in spirit and world wide contemporary." He now came forward with a
concrete idea – the concept of living as a community. Mutual help was to be the
cornerstone of success in this venture.
With this idea in mind they pooled their resources and
bought six grounds of land south of the city. At that time the prices of land were low. So
their meagre resources, which they had saved from commission and sales of artwork came in
handy. The first batch of seven artists moved out to Cholamandal in May 1966, to live and
work here in extremely trying conditions.
What’s there at Cholamandal?
You’ll enjoy basking in the tranquility of the
artist’s village. An exquisite Guest House with two independent units is set amidst
picturesque surroundings. Each section is a compact unit comprising of a working/living
place, kitchenette, toilet, rest place and a balcony overlooking the sheer beauty of the
azure sea waters. If you’re an upcoming artist you can work here too. Two
Artist’s Studios each self-sufficient with a large studio, toilet and kitchenette
make your stay a blissful one. Each can be rented for an eleven-month period at a rate of
Rs. 800 per month. The Guest House can be rented too, at Rs. 300 per day, but not by
anyone who walks in. Artists, art students, art historians and lovers of art have to book
well in advance to avoid disappointments.
For connoisseurs of art, there are some dainty and
colourful paintings and custom designed sculptures on sale at the twin Art Galleries at
Cholamandal. They range anywhere between Rs.3,500 to one lakh.Today, they have over 10
acres of land. The artists have formed a small co-operative that is self-sufficient and is
run without any external aid. This supports them and their aspirations, which are many. |
In
tune, with the changing scenario, modern houses have sprung up with brick walls and
terrace roofing. Studios and stores have asbetos roofing.
There is a permanent art gallery where exhibitions are
held, an open-air theatre where artists from different walks of life perform. A
Guest-House donated by the West German Government is used to accommodate visiting foreign
artists. Two artist’s studios donated by the TCI group house young artists from all
over the country. In addition, each resident artist has his own personal art gallery and
studio. Though the artist’s earnings are not pooled, a certain portion, about 20%,
goes into the common kitty for the upkeep of the village.
 Cholamandal has in fact, become a common meeting ground for
international artists – whether they be musicians, dancers, theatre and film artists
or writers. An increasing number of filmmakers now throng Cholamandal, especially after
the success of the Kannada film ‘Samskara’.
A very informal ambience greets the budding artist or any
visitor to this calm and serene village. The environment is the teacher here. Everybody
has some hidden talent. Exposed to the environment, a beginner gains faster from first
hand knowledge than from a formal education within the precincts of a school.
Interestingly, even the children of these artists dabble in paintings and sculpture, some
of which are quite striking and adorn the art galleries.
Predominantly at Cholamandal, granite, wood, metals like
copper and bronze are the medium in use for sculpting. Paintings are of Gods and Goddesses
and other subjects as well, besides modern art in vivid pastels, oils, graphic prints, a
mixture of ink and watercolours, with the backdrop of canvas or wood.
Cholamandal is the
only one of its kind in the world. In’hod the artist’s village in Israel, built
entirely into rock is completely funded by the government. Another such experiment in
Germany is not exclusive only to artists. It includes musicians, writers, dancers and
artists from many other fields as well. Cholamandal is truly a financial and artistic
feat! What sets it a step apart is that each artist is an individual in his own right.
 Already expansion programmes are afoot. If the cultural
department of Tamilnadu steps in to offer a helping hand, Cholamandal may well be donning
the mantle of an International Cultural Centre. –
Whom to contact?
The Secretary
Cholamandal Artist’s Village
Injambakkam
Chennai 600 041
Tel # 91-44-4926092
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