Ritanjali Hastir, Keekli Reporter, 23rd June, 2015, Shimla
“We just hope that we have managed to touch the hearts of our audiences and have managed to inspire them to take interest in this art form which is dying slowly”– Ishro, an artist.
The ongoing Pahari miniature painting in the historic Gaiety Theatre is winning hearts of art lovers. The exhibition has been organized by the Department of Language, Art and Culture Himachal Pradesh in association with the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies Himachal Pradesh. Himalayan Studies has played a major role in developing and shaping the art vocation of young talented artists since 2009 as for the first time a diploma course in miniature painting was started during the time of Prof. Vidya Sharda. The seed sown during that time had now grown into a fruit bearing tree for the young artists resulting in the current MFA course in Pahari miniature.
Currently there are more than 50 paintings showcased here made by seven Fine Arts students – Kush, Baldev, Som, Divinder, Shweta, Swati and Balbinder which is attracting a lot of art lovers. Balbinder one of the participants while expressing his thoughts said, “I have displayed many paintings depicting festival celebrations and though my work I am trying to make people aware about the culture. My paintings like the Lohri, are different from the traditional work as there is a new thought in it rather than copying the previous work”.
For most of students it is their first exhibition and the excitement is visible on their faces as they shine with pride after exhibiting their work at the art gallery. Artifacts are available for sale for the art lovers till June 27 – the day for conclusion of the exhibition.
While commenting on the exhibition, Nitika Sharma, a local 
resident said, “The paintings are very good. I have already seen the previous exhibitions organized by the same artists and I was really inspired. The miniature work is really difficult and every time the artists manage to pull it off so neatly”.
The best part of the exhibition is that it is a “Guru Shishaya Parmapara”– a united effort of teachers and students that have give a fare show. In this exhibition the hard work of past two years has been displayed reflecting the talent of youth plus delivering a message that a real teacher is one that makes their student part of his success. The zeal of teachers and students has made this exhibition a complete success. 
While commenting on the exhibit Amit Kumar, a spectator said, “I liked the Krishan painting. The colour combination used in many paintings is really worth the appreciation”. In spite of mixed reactions, the fact remains that the exhibition has managed to draw attention of many art lovers who cannot ignore the work may that be good or bad.
