OREANDA-NEWS. Eminent artists Shri Paresh Maity and his wife, Smt. Jayasri Burman commenced their stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan as Artists In-Residence yesterday (September 21, 2016). They will be in residence till October 2, 2016.

Shri Paresh Maity, born in Tamluk, a small town in West Bengal, studied at Government College of Art, Kolkata and Delhi College of Art. His adventurous, experimental personality has prodded him to explore in all mediums – drawings, watercolours, oils, mixed media, installation and sculptures, photography and filmmaking. His uniqueness lies in his rediscovering the charm, flavor and magic of India in his paintings. Shri Maity has had seventy one solo exhibitions to his credit held all over the world including India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, France, United Kingdom and United States of America. On the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary, an exhibition of watercolours 'Shesh Lekha' was organized by him at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and Mumbai. His latest painting, one of the longest in the world is 800 ft. and on display at T3 Terminal at Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi.

Smt. Jayasri Burman, born in Calcutta, is a contemporary Indian artist. She studied at the Kala Bhavan in Shantiniketan and at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata. She works mainly in watercolor, using rich strong hues and bold themes with a mythic element—strange hybrid animals with human heads, female figures. She has won several prizes for her art. Her work has been exhibited in India and overseas.

The ‘In-Residence’ programme in Rashtrapati Bhavan was launched by the President of India on December 11, 2013 with the aim of providing writers and artists an opportunity to stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan and be a part of the life of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Programme seeks to provide an environment which will inspire creative thinking and rejuvenate artistic impulses. It is intended to honour and recognize eminent and established artists and writers as well as encourage young upcoming talent from different parts of the country.

Eminent artist and MP, Shri Jogen Choudhury; author Shri Amitav Ghosh and scholar Prof. Ranjan Banerjee are among those who have stayed in Rashtrapati Bhavan under this programme. Sculptor Shri Subodh Gupta and his wife, artist Smt. Bharti Kher will stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of the programme in November this year.