Vijay Sharma | |
|---|---|
 Vijay Sharma and his wife Neeru Sharma | |
| Born | 12 September 1962 (1962-09-12) (age 63) Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Spouse | Neeru Sharma |
| Children | Sarang Sharma Maitray sharma |
| Parent(s) | Anantram Sharma Geetadevi Sharma |
| Awards | Padma Shri Kalidas Samman Himachal Pradesh State Award Ministry of Textiles Award AIFACS Award Madhya Pradesh State Award |
| Website | Official web site |
Vijay Sharma is an Indian painter and art historian,[1][2] known for his expertise in thePahari school of miniature painting.[3][4] He was honored by theGovernment of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award ofPadma Shri.[5]
I started visiting the museum at the age of 13 and the museum stories amazed me every other day. Fine paintings done with hands and that too by the local artists were a revelation for me. I inquired about artists, their families but sadly they had given up painting long ago. They were carpenters, labourers, government officials, everything but not painters., says Vijay Sharma.[3]
Vijay Sharma was born on 12 September 1962 to Geetadevi and Anantram Sharma at Mohalla Ramgarh, of the district ofChamba, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.[1][6] His father, a bus driver working forHimachal Road Transport Corporation, noticed his son's penchant for drawing and sent the boy toBanares to learn painting, when he was only 15.[3] Though Sharma returned from Banares after a week's stay, he continued to hone his skills under Mirza Ashgar Beg[1] and by visiting the Bhuri Singh Museum in Chamba.[3] Meanwhile, he passedHindi Prabhakar examination and, later, secured a master's degree (MA) in History fromHimachal Pradesh University, Shimla.[1] After his academics, Sharma went back toVaranasi to learn miniature painting at Bharat Kala Bhawan under the tutelage of Ved Pal Sharma.[6] He also attended an archaeological training camp conducted atHampi, Karnataka by theArchaeological Survey of India in 1985.[6]
Sharma started working as a painter for the Himachal Road Transport Corporation at the age of 18 but, later, shifted to the Department of Language and Culture, Government of Himachal Pradesh as a conservation assistant.[3] He resigned from the post in 1988 and is an accredited artist at the Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.[3][4]
Vijay Sharma has foundedShilpa Parishad, a non governmental organization, for promoting the genre of miniature painting, especially thePahari school and serves as its president.[1][7] He has also participated in many artist workshops such as the NZCC All India miniature painting workshop at Kalagram, Chandigarh in 2006, the Janapravaha artist workshop of 2005, workshop organized by the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata in 2007, miniature camp in connection with the Gita Jayanti Utsav of 2008, miniature camp held at theIndian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla in 2009, camp organized byMohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur in 2011 andHarmony Painting Residency 2012 organized by Harmony Art Foundation, Mumbai.[6]
Sharma is agovernment nominated member of the governing council of the Himachal Academy of Art, Culture and Languages and an executive committee member of theNorth Zone Cultural Centre, a regional body established by theGovernment of India for the promotion of arts, crafts, traditions and cultural heritage of India.[1][7] He is a founder member of theKangra Arts Promotion Society[2] and has also served as an honorary advisor to the Delhi Crafts Council,[8] an NGO working for the revival of Indian arts and crafts.[7]
A follower of the Basholi and Kangra styles ofPahari painting,[2][4] Sharma is also known to be a scholar and art historian.[1] He is reported to have learnt the ancient scripts ofŚāradā andTakri[1] and has published many books and articles[4] on the arts and crafts of Himachal Pradesh.[9][10][11]
Vijay Sharma is married to Neeru Sharma and the couple has two sons, Sarang and Maitreya. The family lives in Mohalla Ramgarh near Dasnami Akhara in Chamba.[6]
Vijay Sharma received theHimachal Pradesh state award in 1980 for hisragamala paintings followed by the award from theMinistry of Textiles in 1990.[1][6]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society awarded him their annual AIFACS Award in 1997 and Sharma received theKalidas Samman in 2011.[1][6] in 2012, theGovernment of India included him in theRepublic Day honours list for the award ofPadma Shri.[1][5][6]
In 2013, Himachal Pradesh University awarded him the honorary doctorate.
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