Shillong, Dec 19: The Thoh Shun Art Camp 2023 was held at the ICSSR premises, NEHU, and was attended by twelve artists from Santiniketan Kala Bhavan Praktoni and twelve artists from Riti Academy of Visual Arts. The art camp was inaugurated by Mr. Frederick Roy Kharkongor, Commissioner and Secretary, Arts and Culture, Government of Meghalaya.
The ten-day art camp was dedicated to the memory of the Poet Laureate of Meghalaya, Soso Tham, on his eighty-third death anniversary. Glorious tributes were paid by the dignitaries and all artists and guests to the literary legend, Soso Tham, to cherish his outstanding contribution to Khasi literature. The chief guest, F. R. Kharkongor, reminded the gathering that Soso Tham wrote books in vernacular language at a time when tremendous challenges were encountered and it was difficult to overcome the pressure of external influences. He said that the identity of the Khasi community is based on the three ‘Ls’ that mean land, language, and lineage, as professed by Soso Tham.
The plight of creative people was expressed by every speaker in the context of their respective analyses of the current scenario in society. The Honorary Director of ICSSR, Prof. B Panda, delved into the philosophical aspects of art in relation to society, while Dr. Janak Jhankar Narzari narrated the practical situation in the region and stressed the institutionalisation of art as a forum to further the interests of the fraternity and sustain the career prospects of every artist in society. The main organiser of the Art Camp, Raphael Warjri, shared certain significant aspects of art in the local context and expressed the need for the establishment of formal art education in the state to inspire and encourage local aspirants to take up fine arts as a viable career option. Meanwhile, the society of alumni of fine arts at Viswa Bharati University, the Santiniketan Kala Bhavan Praktoni, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Riti Academy of Visual Arts, Shillong, for an exchange programme on art for the first phase, which will be continued in the future.
As part of the art camp, deliberations and interactions will be conducted and presented by various resource persons, including Prof. Janak Jhankar Narzari, Soumitra Chatterji, Rathin Kanji, Prof. Niaz Majumdar, Falguni Mukherji, Shamita Goswami, Ketaki Choudhury, Mario Pathaw, and Raphael Warjri, on various aspects of personal encounter and social development in the region and in the country.
