Rotary Club of Bangalore to host Kala for Vidya 2025 this weekend

This year’s edition of Kala for Vidya titled, Ephemeral Permanence: Stories of Nature, explores the balance between mankind and the world they inhabits

Kala for Vidya is an annual fundraiser that supports the education of underprivileged children. Presented by the Rotary Club of Bangalore, this year marks the 18th edition of this initiative and has been curated by Amita Shenoy, founder of the Shenoy Art Foundation in Bengaluru.

This exhibition will feature the works of as many as 41 artists from all over India, and over 100 works of art including paintings, sculptures, graphics and more, will be on display.

According to curator Amita Shenoy, the idea behind this show was to bring artists and the community together. “The artists contribute by creating works that resonate with the theme, and the audience buy it knowing full well that the proceeds go towards a charitable cause, and at the same time, they get a chance to enjoy great art. It’s a win-win for everyone,“ says Amita, who has curated this show for Kala for Vidya, a couple of times in the past as well.

Titled Ephemeral Permanence: Stories of Nature, this year’s exhibition took shape over a period of six months, with Rotarians and Amita working together “with no other expectations, but the cause.”

Amita says she centred the show around the idea of permanence within the fleeting. “Though the wonders in Nature appear short-lived, since they are all cyclical they are permanent in a way. For instance, you enjoy the beauty of a sunrise, knowing it is temporary. However, the sun will rise the following day too. This is the cycle of growth in Nature that applies to our spiritual being as well. There is a connection with Nature and humans, and each artist has revealed their vision of this idea in their own unique fashion.”

This notion of renewal, restoration and rejuvenation, captivated the creativity of many an artist.

Mumbai-based artist Sujata Achrekar who is participating in the show for the first time, says once she heard about the cause she was eager to create for it. “For this show, I have attempted to capture a self-aware state of being where one is unruffled in any situation. People attain that frame of mind in different ways — philosophy, meditation or religion — and that spiritual journey is what I attempt to capture in my work,” says Sujata.