Indian art will soon be more readable, literally. A publishing house is planning a series of books to get laymen more interested in the subject

The art fraternity has always raised concerns about the lack of art books that can teach people to appreciate art and get more inclined towards the same. Harsha Bhatkal of Popular Prakashan, has planned to publish a series of books on the subject in which senior art writers — Ranjit Honskote and Nancy Adajania — will write about maverick artists and conduct dialogues with senior artists. 

Another interesting series will be the art books for children. Harsha says, "In India, most people want to buy art but do not show the inclination towards enjoying it. When I visited my four-year-old niece in USA, she had to do a project on artist Monet. And they were shown interesting videos and art works of Monet, the entire approach to the art project was very interesting. This inspired me to do something that will inculcate an interest in art in our country as well." He adds, "Whenever you visit a museums or gallery abroad, you see so many children there but here in India, you hardly see any kids in art galleries. In fact the approach towards art in India is very poor. Schools here do not take art seriously and also we do not have enough museums to take our kids to." 

There are many kinds of books planned for children. Harsha confirms, "We are planning to introduce books on great Indian artists but in kiddie-language and that will be done in association with art teachers who teach in schools and colleges. We will also publish small books in which kids can learn to draw and paint. There is a knowledge-deficit in art and that is the gap we are trying to bridge through these books."

Riddhi Doshi/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication