Kalidas Samman award for Mysuru artist Raghupathi Bhat

Artist Raghupathi Bhat
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The Madhya Pradesh government has selected city-based artist Raghupathi Bhat for the prestigious Kalidas Samman award for the year 2023 for his contribution to the field of painting.

The award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh and a citation and will be conferred to Raghupathi Bhat at a function to be held in Ujjain on November 12.

Expressing happiness over the developments Mr. Bhat said he had no inkling of the news and was informed by some of his well-wishers but it was confirmed on receipt of a communique from the MP government.

Raghupathi Bhat is credited with reviving the Ganjifa miniature painting which was on the brink of extinction and trained scores of artistes which helped keep the art form in vogue. In recognition of his efforts, he earned the prefix “Ganjifa” which is now appended before his name.

He has since moved on from Ganjifa style of paintings and immerses himself in line art, conjuring up images of deities based on Vedic description, etc. His artistic inclinations were nurtured from a young age, influenced by his upbringing in a spiritual environment— his grandfather was a manuscript writer, who prepared palm leaves and transcribed Sanskrit scriptures like Sri Durgasaptashati.

As Bhat continued to develop his skills in sketching and painting, his talent garnered attention and his quest for knowledge and mastery of ancient Indian culture and art led him to travel across India, learning from various teachers and gurus.

Raghupathi Bhat’s works have been exhibited at various venues including London, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, etc., and apart from that he was also engaged in the restoration of wall paintings and gold leaf work at the Darbar Hall and Kalyan Mantap of Mysuru palace.

A release said his works are part of collection in several institutions including Victoria and Albert museum, London , Museum of Sacred Arts, Belgium, Asian Museum, San Francisco etc.