Leaders paintings to go under hammer

KOCHI: In a rare gesture to commemorate a great visionary, the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi has come up with a novel initiative.Two paintings by former Chief Minister K Karunakaran will be auctioned by the Akademi on December 23 in Thiruvananthapuram.The paintings done by Karunakaran as part of his higher education will be auctioned at the Taj Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, Akademi secretary Sreemoolanagaram Mohan said. The paintings, drawn about 70 years ago, can be preserved for a long period as it was done using Windsor and Newton oil colours on imported art paper. “One of the paintings depicts a rickshaw puller and the other a model,” Mohan said.“Enquiries about the price of the rare pieces have been coming from various corners. After all, these are the paintings by a man who was the Chief Minister of the state for four terms,” he added.