Biodata

Achutan Ramachandran Nair, popularly known as A. Ramachandran, is an Indian painter, born in 1935 in Attingal, Kerala. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi and in 2005, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, for outstanding service to the nation. In 2013, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala. In 1957, he obtained his master's degree in Malayalam literature, but art had remained a continuing interest since childhood. He joined Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan and completed his education in art in 1961 studying under masters like Ramkinkar Baij, and Benode Behari Mukherjee. Between 1961 and 1964, he did his doctoral thesis on Kerala mural painting. By the mid-60s, he had moved to Delhi and in 1965 he joined Jamia Millia Islamia as a lecturer in art education. Later, he became a professor in the same department and was attached to the university until his voluntary retirement in 1992. In 1991, he was appointed honorary chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, and in 2005 became Professor Emeritus at Jamia Millia Islamia University. Ramachandran lives and works in New Delhi. He is married to artist Tan Yuan Chameli, daughter of Tan Yun-Shan.