Lucknow: The State Lalit Kala Akademi, Uttar Pradesh, organised a two-day live painting camp at its premises in Lal Baradari Bhawan, Kaiserbagh, Lucknow, to mark Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti. The initiative aimed to celebrate India’s cultural heritage, social harmony and human values through paintings inspired by the Ramayana and the life of Maharishi Valmiki.
The event was organised under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with the support of Jaiveer Singh, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and the state government’s Department of Culture. Amrit Puraskar, Additional Chief Secretary for Culture and Tourism, and Dr Sunil Kumar Vishwakarma, president of the Akademi, were also associated with the initiative. Girish Chandra Mishra is the Akademi’s vice-president.
Ten invited artists participated on the first day of the camp, creating artworks depicting significant episodes from the Ramayana and the life of Maharishi Valmiki. The participating artists included Ashwani Kumar Prajapati, Vineet Pandey, Manoj Gond, Mohan Mava, Siddharth Dev, Faujdar Kumar, Manoj Kumar Hansraj, Minaj Bano, Neha Kumari and Vinod Kumar.
The camp provided a platform for artists to express India’s rich spiritual and cultural traditions through contemporary artistic interpretations. By bringing together artists around the legacy of Maharishi Valmiki, the Akademi sought to highlight the enduring relevance of the Ramayana and its messages of compassion, dignity, harmony and ethical living.
The two-day programme also underscored the role of visual arts in preserving cultural heritage and promoting awareness of India’s literary and spiritual traditions among the public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=RtToJsBhYBatUrym&v=mOuYNSdhjHA&feature=youtu.be
