PANAJI
The Goa Government has decided to confer the highest state civilian award, the Gomant Vibhushan Award, to Laxman Pai, a renowned Goan painter, whose art is globally acclaimed.
Pai, born in 1926 in Margao, graduated from the Sir J J School of Art in Bombay and has more than one hundred solo exhibitions to his credit, including nine in Paris where he worked for ten years between 1951-61, besides exhibitions in London, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen, New York, San Francisco, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Goa.
He has received three Lalit Kala national awards in 1961, 1963 and 1972 besides the Padma Shri in 1985. He was also the principal of Goa College of Art from 1977 to 87.
The Gomant Vibhushan award is conferred upon renowned Goan personalities who have contributed in any field of art, literature, education, sports, medicine, social work, civil services, public affairs, trade, science and engineering, industry, music dance, etc.
Prior to Pai, recipients of the award are Dr Anil Kakodkar, Architect Charles Correa, Dr Raghunath Mashelkar and Lambert Mascarenhas.
The recipients of the award receive a memento, citation, shawl, shriphal and a financial purse of ₹5lakh.
