Entertainment Desk :Kalidas Karmakar, internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi artist has won the SM Sultan Padak (Gold Medal) for his immense contributions to sub-continental art. He is one of the finest painters of Bangladesh.State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder recently handed over the award to Kalidas Karmakar. The award is conferred jointly by SM Sultan Foundation and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The award has been given annually since 2001. Kalidas said, “Sultan was not only a globally renowned artist but also a philanthropist in his native district Narail. I’m overwhelmed by this honour. He had the rare ability to quickly become the centre of attention at any social and cultural gathering.”In his long and chequered life, Kalidas has gradually transformed himself into an abstract expressionist. His works are form, composition and colour-oriented. He prefers bold brush strokes, bright colours, light and shade. In his use of materials and tints, he frequently goes for the bold and natural. Karmakar, born in Faridpur in 1946, graduated in 1969 from the Government College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kolkata, India. Before that, he studied at the Institute of Fine Arts at Dhaka University (now the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka). Besides the country, his work has been shown in galleries in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, the United States, Canada and different countries in the world.
