By Abdul Gani, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: One of the renowned female faces in the field of painting and sculpture of Assam Saleha Ahmed was honoured with Bishnu Prasad Rabha award along with dance exponent Garima Hazarika on the occasion of Bishnu Rabha Divas in Guwahati.
The death anniversary of Bishnu Prasad Rabha, one of the brightest personalities the state has ever produced in the socio-cultural scenario is observed across the state. On the occasion, the cultural department of Assam government has been honouring artistes for their life-long contribution to the field of art and culture and to the society as well. Bishnu Rabha also known as Kala Guru died on June 20 in 1969.
Award winners Saleha Ahmed (left) and Garima Hazarika with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. [Photo: Abdul Sajid]
“This award means a lot to me. I hope we too can do our part what Bishnu Rabha had wanted to do through art and culture,” said Saleha who became the first woman from the state to have the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Viswa Bharati University in 1972.
By doing that she has also set a standard for the women artistes in the state. “My family has been extremely helpful in chasing my dream. I’m happy doing that,” she added.
Saleha Ahmed, born and brought up in a liberal Muslim family in Jorhat. Her parents — Kalimuddin and mother Nasreen Ahmed never deterred her from doing what she wanted to do.
Saleha, for whom painting and sculpture has been an integral part of her life exhibited her works in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and in several other places of the country.
She has been awarded for her contribution by several organizations like by Wood Curving, Assam, Assam Handicraft Board, International Fine Art Conservation Studios (IFACS), New Delhi and others. She has also been associated with number of organizations including Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Gauhati Artists Guild, Jorhat Fine Arts School and others. Besides, her works have been placed at various institutes and organizations across the state.