Should you want to feel the pulse of Jaipur, a reasonable beginning would be to drive down the Mirza Ismail Road. Commonly referred as the M.I. Road, it cuts through the deep underbelly of the city, with the pink parapet of the Walled City lacing one edge of it and the modern metropolis of Jaipur, flanking the other edge. As one goes hurtling through this chaos of the old and the new, a montage of strange juxtapositions emerge. Camel carts trudge alongside spanking new SUV's, the street urchin looks undecidedly at the aspiring male model with painstakingly gelled hair. Indeed, the Pink City in flesh and blood is far more intriguing and fleeting a beast than the coffee table book depiction of it. Which makes the M I road the most probable address for an art gallery aiming to reflect new India - the ethnic elements so congealed with the contemporary, that it is difficult to tell which parts make the whole. Samanvai Art Gallery was floated in 2002 with the motto to lend a platform to emerging local artist, alongside established names in the art world.
Housed on the third floor of the Ganapati Plaza, a popular shopping hub, Samanvai art gallery is as surreal an experience as the drive that will reach you there. The grey Kota stone floors, the quiet white walls and the corridor leading to it are no preparation for the two thousand square feet of space studded with eclectic art work that suddenly confronts you. Sprinkled all over are some of the choicest murals, quaint metal figurines and art pieces. The proprietor is also the curator and has mostly handpicked the art works from all over the country and some of it also from abroad. Art exhibits are organized regularly at samanvai to improve visibility for local artists and familiarise residents with the contemporary art being created within the precincts of city better known for gems and jewellery.
Samanvai has hosted art camps in Goa in the year 2007, followed by one in Bhuwaneshwar and another in ....... All the art work generated thus
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