OREANDA-NEWS. February 21, 2011. Art-in-Industry, a pioneering initiative by Tata Steel to promote art and  artists in the country, was unveiled today at Raipur. Having provided a  platform to many of the budding artists from Jamshedpur and Bhubaneswar, this  was a maiden initiative of Tata Steel to bring artistic talent of Chhattisgarh  to the fore. The camp took off on a vibrant note and will see masters and  budding artists at work over the next few days till Wednesday, 23rd February,  2011.

The camp was inaugurated by Mr Dharam Lal Kaushik, Hon'ble Speaker,  Chhattisgarh Assembly, at the Mahant Ghansidas Memorial Museum, in presence of  Mr Sanjiv Paul, Vice President (Corporate Services), Tata Steel; prominent  artists of the day; senior government and company officials; avid art lovers of  the city and others.

The first camp of Art-In-Industry at Raipur will see artists like  Rajendra, Deepak Verma, Nandini Sharma, Pisharu Ram Mandavi, Sonal Sharma, Vandana  Parghania, Gangadevi Bhatt, Ratnesh Janghel, Vijay Warthe, Kishor Sahu, Ram  Indoria and others put forth their artistic skills on canvas. Besides them,  Tata Steel has also invited prominent artists like JMS Mani - Bangalore;  Ravindra Salve - Mumbai; Dr Alekh Charan Sahu - Bhubaneswar; K K Mani - Jammu;  Jyoti Panigrahi - Delhi; Kishore Roy - Kolkata and Manas Jena from Bhubaneswar  to participate in this four day camp

Mr Kaushik in his speech lauded the effort of Tata Steel in discharging  its social responsibility towards the people in its areas of present and  potential operations, adding that it is this aspect of the company that has  made Tata Steel attain international stature and respect.

Mr Sanjiv Paul took the opportunity to appraise the gathering that Tata  Steel has been encouraging artists ever since 1940s. Today, more and more  corporate bodies are coming forward to encourage artists; a practice that Tata  Steel pioneered several decades ago.

The  concept of Art-in-Industry dates back to 1943 when Tata Steel was one of the  prize-donors of an exhibition and sale of art in the J. J. School of Art,  Mumbai, wherein artists were invited to compete for prizes and scholarships.  The aim even then was not merely be able to sell the entries or acquire the  paintings, but also to bring the talent of lesser known artists to the notice  of leading industrialists and patrons of art. It was in 1994 that the first  Art-in-Industry camp was formally launched by Tata Steel in Jamshedpur.

The motive behind organizing Art-in-Industry camps in  conjunction with established art galleries in the country was the belief that  art was the most truthful reflection of a nation's ethos and history, its  achievements and short-comings, its life and growth. The art galleries brought  their best group of young and seasoned artists to a week-long camp on the lush  green lawns of the Centre for Excellence, Jamshedpur, an ambience that lent  itself for artists to give vent to their expressions in styles distinctly their  own.