The Garden is envisaged and designed by a renowned Artist Dr. T B Solabakkanavar from Karnataka. He created it with a number of junior artists whom he trained and skilled. He served as a professor in Fine Arts College, Davanagere and took the voluntarily retirement in 1990 and plunged into the folk and sculpture field. In 1986, he created 120x4 feet long painting opposing atomic bombs and wars which depicts the evolution of the earth, nature, creatures and human beings and their awful desires which would create massive destruction of the earth. It has been portrayed as the first experiment in a fine arts form. This painting has been exhibited throughout India and in other parts of world. Many poems and dramas have been written on it and had been sung and played when its exhibition was held in the major cities of India. He has already designed several sculpture gardens in many parts of India. He seriously thought about Art, Life and Society. His intense desire is ‘to carryout Art towards society’ from metro galleries. “If art thinks about society, society will also think about artist.” Having these strong truthful thoughts, he started a revolutionary art movement and succeeded in it. We can feel the fragrance of his thought at Utsav Rock Garden which has come true in contemporary period. Here, his Art is accompanied by rustic life, nature and symbolic modernity (Contemporary art). He stands apart from his contemporaries. His own Art language has left an indelible mark on the history of Indian sculpture and fine arts field.

Presently he is the President of ‘Karnataka Bayalata Academy’, Bagalkot.

His precious thought about art is...
“Art is an aesthetics combined with social responsibility”

He has been conferred with many awards and honors. Among them, the chief ones are….

• Kannada Folklore Academy Award - 2002.
• Kannada Rajyotsava Award – 2005.
• Fine Arts Academy Honorary Award - 2006.
• Honorary Doctorate Award from Karnataka Folklore University, Gotagodi –2018.
• Shri. D. V. Halabhavi, National Award – 2019.

The Pedestal of Utsav Rock Garden is Mr. Prakash Dasanur, the Founder of Dasanur Group, a rock-solid supporter for all the efforts related to Garden. He is a dreamer, son of soil with wings of honesty, commitment, hard work, team work and vision expanded boundaries as he has raised to a high-level in entrepreneurship. In recognition of his laudable service, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) Ahmadabad bestowed him the 'Best Entrepreneur award for the Year – 2008'. He robustly believed in 'Social Enterprise' which provides more employment than profit. He is involved into numerous social welfare programmes and has shouldered several associations which are operational for a noble cause. His economic support has facilitated to institute Utsav Rock Garden. Utsav Rock Garden is recognized as a distinguished centre for art lovers, unique tourist centre for school children, layman and experts in Karnataka because of his selfless, proficient and administrative support.

Dr. Solabakkanavar rooted the seeds in the mind of Prakash Dasanur (son – in – law of Dr. Solabakkanavar) about creating an ‘Art Land’ at a remote area and far-off from cities. The deep-rooted seeds sprouted in his brain and he reflected on it seriously and invested immensely to this dreamland. It was extremely challenging and hard to establishing Art Centre in such a distant area which was hardly known to tourists.

It is a huge accomplishment of transforming the marshal, barren land into lush green paradise and transforming it as the Heaven of Art. His strong concern is “Production by masses, not in mass production”.

As a social entrepreneur, providing monetary support to run a school in remote area is one among them which is now endowing with quality education to rural children. It is noteworthy that more than 50 young Artists have been provided with food and shelter for the last 14 years and till today it is being continued in Utsav Rock Garden.

Awards

1. Swashrama Sri Award – 2008, Awarded by RUDSET Institute, Ujire.
2. Best Entrepreneur Award for the year-2008, Awarded by, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad (EDI).
3. Successful Enterpreneur-2017, Awarded by Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India.
4. Vanijya Ratna Award – 2019, Awarded by Karnatak Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Hubballi.

Mandy Hale, an American author says, “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others” and Mrs.Vedarani Dasanur is the one who is burning midnight oil for the overall progress of the Garden. She is the curator of Utsav Rock Garden. Mrs.Vedarani Dasanur is a Post-graduate in English literature and has studied and gained a tremendous knowledge about art and artistic work. She is a daughter of Dr. T B Solabakkanavar and wife of Mr.Prakash Dasanur. She has shouldered to the responsibility of curating and developing Utsav Rock Garden since its inception in 2009. The Curator's job is highly challenging as it requires an enormous knowledge of art, architecture, nature, history, folk, culture, landscaping and fine arts as well. Being a woman, she has handled it in a befitting manner and her administration, maintenance has made it very popular among the public. She has travelled around 3,43,200kms in 11 years to set it up. Her interest has enlarged to various fields like literature, art, architecture, yoga, education and collecting ignored antique folklore articles. Her passion, intuition and zeal have helped a lot in shaping the Rock Garden and it has emerged as a bright and pretty place for tourists. A choice of folk and antique compilations of her has been displayed in the Garden along with the sculptures.

Every year she curates socio-cultural and literary programs in the Garden. The Garden has garnered a towering reputation in the field of art and culture because of her vigorous and determined efforts. She has provided a platform to the unemployed and budding young artists to showcase their talent. She is a leading light of upcoming Art projects. She is completely occupied in creating various art concepts primarily on “Mother and Child” theme park, near Hubballi. A number of artists are exploring extraordinary Art talent especially sculptures and paintings under her able guidance and producing eye catching artistic figures.

She has also blueprinted Folk Resort rooms and they have already been executed in Utsav Rock Garden. These are the synchronization and recipe of organic architecture and modernity and undoubtedly the stunning images of architecture will tempt the tourists to stay and enjoy a blissful moment.

Her dream “Varnotsav” an art house has also been built in the style of Indo-Saracenic and Gothic architecture at Amragol, Hubballi.