On December 24, CIMA hosted a Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony, as part of its 30th-anniversary celebrations, where art revivalist Ruby Palchoudhuri, art historian and writer Alka Pande, and the late artist Sushen Ghosh were honoured for their remarkable achievements in the field of art.
‘CIMA will continue to focus on the belief that art is democratic and open to all’
The programme got underway with a performance by the Sapphire Creations Dance Company.
Pratiti Basu Sarkar, chief administrator of CIMA, noted that CIMA “will continue to focus on the belief that art is democratic and open to all”. She also added that “it will not compromise on art’s ability to reflect, nor on art’s ability to facilitate societal change”.
The opening performance by the Sapphire Creations Dance Company
A similar sentiment was echoed by Rakhi Sarkar, director and curator of CIMA, who remarked that CIMA has had an incredible journey since its inception in November, 1993. “We are here to celebrate those 30 years of CIMA. I belong to a family of artists and musicians, and I happen to be married to someone who is deeply enchanted by art. My mentor in art was Amala Sarkar, who introduced me to art, craft, and music. She taught me to love and understand art in a formal sense. That love still reigns. CIMA’s goal has been to acquaint the Indian audience with art from abroad while introducing Indian art to foreign lands,” she said.
Celebrating luminaries
A presentation on Sushen Ghosh
Sushen Ghosh’s art shines in its abstraction, but tries to capture the essence of beauty in various geometric forms. It is this strange allure that has mesmerised art lovers and connoisseurs throughout his brilliant career and continues to do so. The first award of the evening was presented to the artist and his daughter Mahua Ghosh received the award and an uttoriyo from Pratiti Basu Sarkar and a citation from Rakhi Sarkar along with a cheque. “My father’s artistic journey was always towards finding a childlike innocence and love for art. My father might not be present right now, but if we try to find our innocence, we might be able to find him again,” said Ghosh.
Sushen Ghosh’s daughter, Mahua Ghosh, receives the award
The next awardee was the distinguished art historian and curator Dr. Alka Pande. The author has authored several books and has been the recipient of the Charles Wallace Award, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, and Australian-India Council Special Award, among others. Adding another feather to her cap, she received the CIMA Lifetime Achievement Award from Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, historian, author, and the chancellor of Ashoka University. She received the citation from the former advisor to the Chief Minister of Bihar, Anjani Kumar Singh.
Dr. Alka Pande receiving the award from Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee
Pande began her acceptance speech by expressing gratitude to her teachers. “I want to thank my mother, who inculcated in me a love for music. She was extremely disciplined and so was my father. And had it not been for him I would not have been able to achieve what I did,” she said.
“I also want to thank my dear friend Rakhi, whom I met two decades ago. The artistic world can have its deep, dark moments. With artists, the better they are, the more insecure they are. Rakhi has been constantly encouraging. It is difficult to find people as generous and giving and as elegant in their thoughts as her. All of us, especially as women, do want acknowledgement. Acknowledgement is what eggs us to do things better and makes us realise that we are doing something right,” she said.
A brilliant life
Ruby Palchoudhuri with her award
Ruby Palchoudhuri has been a beacon in the field of craft revival and documentation. Presently the president emeritus of the Craft Council of West Bengal, she has in her illustrious career established several income generation programmes for lower income groups. Reviving dying crafts has been her life’s commitment and at 94, she remains undeterred in her efforts.
She received a standing ovation from the audience as she received her award.
A presentation on Ruby Palchoudhuri
“I don’t know really whether I belong here or not but during the course of my journey, I have dealt with many makers. And I am grateful to them for having shared their lives and works with me. I don’t know if I deserve this award because I have only been a facilitator and I do hope that the work we have started will be taken up by the next generation and can be carried on similarly,” she said.
The event concluded with another dance performance by Sapphire Creations Dance Company and a cake-cutting before dinner with the awardees of the evening.
