Media Release

Mangaluru, Sep 7: Rare and local art forms are finding prime space at Mangaluru International Airport. A case in point is the fact that people can see the near extinct Kaavi Kale art adorn the ceiling, wall, and beam of the current international busing arrival area.

Created by Kaavi Kale artist and research scholar Janardhan Rao Havanje, the art form is the latest addition to the varied and growing art form repertoire at MIA.

The Kaavi Kale works include floral wonder of Kaavi art on the ceiling, floral design and patterns on the beam and a colonial treat on the wall. This unique artform uses red oxide as the base.

The intricate patterns that emerge when dexterous hands chip away at this base is a visual treat to savour. Even domestic arrival passengers have a ringside view of this art form as they descend the escalator.

Kaavi Kale is the indigenous architectural ornamentation technique of the Konkan coast in India. Kaavi means red oxide and kale means art form, says Janardhan Rao Havanje, who has co-authored a treatise on this subject Caroline D'Souza. The art form has been suspended some 15 metres from the ground with new frames on the ceiling and on the wall paneling specially done for the walls.

Stakeholders have appreciated the workmanship of Janardhan Rao Havanje. While SCube, a leading local art gallery has thanked the airport for giving space to different art forms that form part of local culture, another stakeholder expressed happiness that people such as Janardhan Rao Havanje have dedicated their lives to showcase such cultural art forms to the modern society.