When art meets food, the effect is always good. But this time, it wasn’t just about aesthetics or yummy food. It was about a good cause. Feazt for a Cause, an amalgamation of art and food, was hosted on Sunday to raise funds to gather art supplies for children in MK Puram, a small village on the AP-Karnataka border.
Having been brought up in a home surrounded by art, Shruti Murugan, organiser of the event, was bound to do something with it.
“My friend Vishalakshi was talking about her village MK Puram and she told me about a school there that needed help. So instead of buying them bags etc., which they already have, we thought why not inculcate in them the virtue of art,” said Shruti.
Artist R. Sri Murugan
When Shruti’s father, artist R. Sri Murugan, found out about the plan, he decided to help. “It was a great idea and so I decided to put 20 of my works on sale,” the 70-year-old artist said.
“My father has a speech impairment. And he also finds it difficult to even lift his left hand... despite all that he still paints,” explains Shruti.
While Murugan’s work, for this event, was priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000, one could also commission a smaller painting for a lesser price.
Apart from the art exhibition, a food event, by Feazt was part of the fundraiser. In a typical Feazt event, guests gather at a host’s home to taste a particular cuisine by paying a small fee.
“We usually take a percentage of the entry fee, but for this cause, we decided to do away with it. All funds were used to buy art supplies for kids,” said Gopi Krishna, who heads the group.
However, this is not a one-off charity event. “We plan to continue this work. As of now, we are buying 100 children art supplies. But after that we are going to start teaching art at
the village on every Sunday,” says Shruti.
