Lalit Kala Akademi Awards Scholarships to 8 Young Visual Artists at Regional Centre, Shimla

Shimla, Sept 15 – The Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India) awarded 8 young visual artists with scholarships at its Regional Centre, Shimla, located in the historic Gaiety Theatre. Each scholarship carries ₹20,000 per month for one year, enabling the selected artists to pursue and showcase their art under the Akademi’s guidance.

Earlier, the Akademi granted 40 scholarships across its five regional centres. However, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the number was increased to 75 scholarships nationwide, with 8 allotted to Shimla Centre for artists from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The selected scholars for 2023–24 include Sachin Kumar Mehta (Himachal Pradesh) and Pragya Shah, Shanu Sharma, Divya Gupta, Sugam Gaud, Shreya Rawat, Amit Kumar, and Akarshan Boura (Uttarakhand).

At a special ceremony today, the young artists were felicitated at Lalit Kala Akademi Gallery, Shimla by Dr. Nand Lal Thakur, Vice-President, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, who served as the chief guest. He urged youth to apply in greater numbers in the coming years to ensure wider preservation and promotion of visual arts in the region.

The event marked a proud moment for Himachal’s art community, with thanks extended to Dr. Thakur for his continuous efforts in fostering art activities in the state.