Mural Painting Artist Sastrasarman Prasad Wins 2020 Kerala Kshethrakala Academy Yuvaprathibha Award
Kshetrakala Academy(Academy for temple arts ) was formed as a cultural and educational institution under the leadership of Malabar Devaswom board of Kerala Government Devaswom Department.
The primary objective of this academy is to encourage, promote and popularise the temple arts. The declared aim of the academy is to transform itself into a university like the Kerala Kalamandalam by imparting training in the declining temple arts, organising exemplary classes in educational and cultural institutions, awarding prizes to temple artists and assisting disabled artists.
T. S. Sastrasarman prasad is the winner of Kerala Kshetra Kala Academy
Yuvapratibha Award 2020 for traditional mural painting art; A native of
Brahmakulam, Guruvayur, this young artist is a prominent figure in
traditional Kerala murals using natural colors.
Sastrasarman Prasad entered his field in 2010 after completing five
years of gurukula studies at the Guruvayur Mural Painting Institute ,
established by renowned mural artist Mammiyur Krishnankutty Nair under the
Guruvayur Devaswom. His chief instructor was the current principal of the
institution KU Krishnakumar who was the disciple of Mammiyur Krishnankutty
Nair.
He later joined the Asha’s Art Gallery in Mammiyur as a painting artist. He
graduated with a Master’s degree in Mural Painting from the Karnataka Open
University in 2014. In 2015, he worked as an art teacher for one year at
Vidyavihar Central School in Chittattukara. In 2017, he started his own
online art gallery called Mayoogha Arts Gallery (www.mayooghamurals.com). He
worked wonders with his artistry of painting on canvases, wooden and clay
sculptures, institutions, homes and temples.
During his studies, he started with painting the murals at Guruvayur Temple
East Gopuram and Chowalloor Shiva Temple and Later continued his work at
other major temples. Anjoor Parkkadi Bhagavathy Temple, Thrissur Brahmaswam
both thekke madom and vadakke madom, Kunnamkulam kurinjoor Vishnu Temple,
Melattur kaippulli Vishnu Vettekkaran Temple, Delhi Uttaraguruvayurappan
Temple, Kanjiramattam Shaktikavu Sreekrishna temple, Cherukunnu
Annapoorneshwari Temple are some of the major temples adorned with his mural
painting art.
The aim of this artist is to collect the forgotten knowledge in the heritage
of Painting art in India, about the surfaces, natural colour combinations,
compositions, their processing, production and preservation and to pass it
on to future generations through new paintings that shine with pride of the
past.
Sastrasarman is the son of the late Anjoor Thottappaya mana Sankaran Namboothiri and Chelapparambu Radha. His father and mother gave him an innate encouragement in painting. Sisters Sandhya Jayanthan and Sindhu Dineshan continue to be working as painting artists at the Ashas Art Gallery in Mammiyur. Bhagyalakshmi, his wife, also provides technical assistance and inspiration required for the research and studies of this art form. In addition to murals, the artist has proven his skills in cement relief, terracotta art, interior design and photography.
