Chamba artist Bhuvaneshwar wins Kalidas academy prize for painting

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, an artist from Mohalla Chauntra, Chamba, has won the first prize in the national painting competition organized by the National Kalidas Academy, Ujjain, under the aegis of the Madhya Pradesh government. The award was presented by Madhya Pradesh Education Minister Indra Singh Parmar.

The National Kalidas Academy conducts an annual painting competition. This year, artists submitted works inspired by Kalidas’s creations. Kumar’s painting, depicting Lord Shiva’s wedding procession from Kumar Sambhav, earned him the top honour. He received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a robe and a citation. Kumar has dedicated over four decades to painting, training under renowned Padma Shri awardee Vijay Sharma, a prominent painter from Chamba. Vijay Sharma himself received the National Kalidas Award in 2011. Two of his other disciples, Dhaniram and Deepak Bhandari, have previously won the same award.

This recognition marks Kumar as the second artist from Chamba to receive the prestigious honor. The Chamba Shilp Parishad congratulated him and expressed optimism that more local artists will achieve similar acclaim in the future. The competition showcases India’s rich artistic heritage, offering a platform for talented artists to reinterpret classic themes and receive national recognition.