13 Facts About Vijay Sharma

Vijay Sharma is an Indian painter and art historian, known for his expertise in the Pahari school of miniature painting.

Vijay Sharma was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

Vijay Sharma was born on 12 September 1962 to Geetadevi and Anantram Sharma at Mohalla Ramgarh, of the district of Chamba, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Vijay Sharma attended an archaeological training camp conducted at Hampi, Karnataka by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1985.

Vijay Sharma started working as a painter for the Himachal Road Transport Corporation at the age of 18 but, later, shifted to the Department of Language and Culture, Government of Himachal Pradesh as a conservation assistant.

Vijay Sharma resigned from the post in 1988 and is an accredited artist at the Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

Vijay Sharma has founded Shilpa Parishad, a non governmental organization, for promoting the genre of miniature painting, especially the Pahari school and serves as its president.

Vijay Sharma is a government nominated member of the governing council of the Himachal Academy of Art, Culture and Languages and an executive committee member of the North Zone Cultural Centre, a regional body established by the Government of India for the promotion of arts, crafts, traditions and cultural heritage of India.

Vijay Sharma is a founder member of the Kangra Arts Promotion Society and has served as an honorary advisor to the Delhi Crafts Council, an NGO working for the revival of Indian arts and crafts.

Vijay Sharma is reported to have learnt the ancient scripts of Sarada and Takri and has published many books and articles on the arts and crafts of Himachal Pradesh.

Vijay Sharma is married to Neeru Sharma and the couple has two sons, Sarang and Maitreya.

Vijay Sharma received the Himachal Pradesh state award in 1980 for his ragamala paintings followed by the award from the Ministry of Textiles in 1990.

All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society awarded him their annual AIFACS Award in 1997 and Vijay Sharma received the Kalidas Samman in 2011.