Millet portraits, a novel attraction at GIS venue

Visakhapatnam: Considering Global Investors' Summit (GIS) as a significant platform to present gifts to invitees, artist Moka Vijaya Kumar intends to highlight the importance of millets through art. With 2023 declared as the 'Year of Millets', the city-based artist and railway employee is bringing out a host of portraits of industrial bigwigs and political leaders incorporating assorted millets.

Using sorghum, kodo millet, finger millet, pearl millet and black sesame seeds, the artist poured life to the portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, prominent industrialist bigwigs such as Birla, Ambani, Adani, Anand Mahindra, among others. Speaking to The Hans India, Vijaya Kumar said it took 15 days for him to complete each portrait of the industrialists who are the pride of India. "I feel honoured if these portraits are presented to the respective industrial giants who are arriving at the summit on Friday and Saturday," he stated.

After going through the portraits at Andhra University Engineering grounds where the Global Investors' Summit would be held on March 3 and 4, industries and IT minister Gudivada Amarnath, finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, minister for municipal administration and urban affairs Audimulapu Suresh and mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari lauded the innovativeness portrayed by the artist. The artist appealed to IT minister Amarnath to present these to the dignitaries attending the GIS. Responding to it, Amarnath said that efforts would be made to present the portraits by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to the guests at Global Investors' Summit.