Founder of “Shilpgram” passes away

Renowned Indian artist Haku Shah, best known for his themes of tribal and folk art, passed away last week following a cardiac arrest at his home in Ahmedabad. He was 85.

Fondly known as “Haku bhai”, the award-winning artist set up the first of its kind Crafts Village – Shilpgram in Udaipur in Rajasthan in the 1980s.

Shah was also a cultural anthropologist. He carried out extensive field research and documentation on rural and tribal arts and crafts, traditions and folk lore, and established a tribal museum at Gujarat Vidyapith.

“He was a curator there for several years which was to become his last legacy,” the family said in a statement.

Shah, who published his memoirs, “Manush” in 2009, received several awards including the Padma Shri (1989), the Jawarharlal Nehru Fellowship and the Kala Ratna for his contribution to art.