A brush with art

Our Big Idea

In 1997, Bhalla and his wife Anjali set up a project to support penurious young artists who had no money or contacts for the right kind of promotion.

Nitanjali, an art gallery, was born in 2000 with an investment of Rs 25 lakh. The husband-and-wife duo seek out promising artists and take them under their care, organising exhibitions and nurturing their talents.

I completed my B.Com from Delhi University in 1975 and soon after started my own leather export business. My family had an iron and steel factory and was into heavy machinery but I wanted to do something on my own.

I had always had artistic leanings; in fact, while I was in school, I would design leather garments. But it wasn't practical at the time to do an Arts degree. I soon began collecting art works as a hobby.

Shortly after I got my first salary (Rs 500), I bought a Czech crystal ashtray from an embassy. That was the beginning of a lifelong interest.

However, it wasn't until 1997 that I realised I wanted to take art appreciation beyond the hobby stage.

Anjali and I were very conscious about the plight of talented but struggling young artists, so we decided to do something to help them.

Our idea was to take under our wing painters whose work showed promise, commission work from them and hold exhibitions that they would otherwise be unable to afford.

After three years of planning, Nitanjali (a combination of our names) was born in August 2000. Anjali had a guesthouse in Palam Vihar, Gurgaon, and we converted the basement into an art gallery.

It was a modest start; we took a few people in a convoy of cars to see some of the paintings displayed. Some of these people didn't even have a single artwork in their house but were keen to educate themselves. My kids' friends showed interest as well.

Among the 11 youngsters currently under our aegis, there is a very talented young man "" Amitesh Verma.

I literally picked up his work from a wastebasket "" 13 of his paintings had been discarded as junk and they caught my eye.

I saw great potential in the work and sought out the artist. Those 13 paintings eventually sold for between Rs 11,000 and Rs 15,000 each.

We launched Amitesh last year at the India Habitat Centre and are now sending him to the Florence School of Art for a fully paid up course that will help hone his skills.

Artists are often reluctant to experiment and need the right encouragement to realise their full potential. This is what my wife and I try to do.

Take the case of Madhuri Phalnikar Bhaduri, whose work we are exhibiting at the India Habitat Centre next week. She initially used to paint just Rajasthani themes but we suggested that she try her hand at abstract paintings.

The results have brought out a new dimension, and art critics have called her a master on the basis of her new work.

We also encouraged Madhuri to delve deeper into her work by writing short poems to go with each of her paintings.

Last year, we opened our second gallery in Ansal Plaza and we have plans for two more, in Sushant Lok and Noida, next year.

Our turnover from Nitanjali is minimal; at any rate, most of what we make is promptly put back into supporting artists.

During the day I'm busy with the flourishing leather business, which has a Rs 30 crore turnover, but evenings are devoted to Nitanjali.

The artists we support are now like children to us. At times, I interact with them up to 3am. For me, this isn't a business "" it's a passion.