President Murmu Presents Lalit Kala Akademi Awards in New Delhi

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, handed over the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards to artists picked from the 65th National Exhibition of Art at a ceremony held in New Delhi on 21 October 2026. At the same function she honoured the Grand Prize winners and the artists who earned Honourable Mentions at the 3rd Print Biennale India.

What the President said

Calling the ceremony a celebration of the country's artistic inheritance, its cultural variety and its present-day creativity, the President said the evening marked the long line of India's many art forms, their creative energy and the way artistic expression keeps renewing itself. Art, she observed, is not only figures drawn on canvas or shapes cut out of stone or works made through other mediums. It mirrors a society: it carries memories of the past, the experience of the present and hopes for what lies ahead, and it lets people look at their own age with fresh eyes.

Training, money and markets

The President asked that traditional artists living in far-off areas be given training in new technology and in modern techniques, so that they can show their skill on wider platforms and take part in competitions. Creative openings by themselves are not enough, she added: artists also need financial support, a bigger market for their work and introductions to the collectors who buy art. She said she was glad that the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Ministry of Culture are working to encourage the sale of artworks.

Art beyond the gallery

Art should not remain shut inside galleries, the President said. It should travel to schools, to universities, to public spaces and to much wider sections of society. She appealed to everyone connected with the arts to give young and emerging artists enough room to build their talent, experiment with unfamiliar mediums and stretch their creative reach.

Why the exhibition matters

The National Exhibition of Art, held by the Lalit Kala Akademi under the Ministry of Culture, is the Akademi's annual showcase of contemporary Indian art and has now reached its 65th edition. The Print Biennale India, whose third edition was also recognised at the ceremony, is the Akademi's separate platform for printmaking.