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.