Telangana Artist Ramu Wins Salar Jung Art Contest for ‘India 2047’
The competition was organised at the Salar Jung Museum in collaboration with the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training as part of Sewa Parv 2025.
Hyderabad: Ramu’s winning piece, India 2047, takes a conceptual route to portray a developed India. At its centre is a woman’s face divided into day and night tones, with a tree growing from her head. Around her orbit rockets, satellites and clustered buildings — balanced by birds, leaves and the faint outline of the earth. “The theme was Viksit Bharat 2047. I showed a woman as Shakti, representing the five elements of nature,” he explained. “She stands for creation and strength. My idea of a developed India is one that grows without losing balance with nature.”
The competition was organised at the Salar Jung Museum in collaboration with the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training as part of Sewa Parv 2025. It was held on September 22, with participants including school students, college artists and professionals under the theme My Bharat @2047. The valedictory event, held on October 27, was attended by MLC Surabhi Vani Devi, founder of Sri Venkateshwara College of Fine Arts.
Ramu completed his Master’s in Fine Arts (Painting) from the University of Hyderabad in 2012 and now works as a full-time artist. Having grown up in an agricultural family in rural Telangana, he recalls his early years surrounded by open landscapes and a slow-paced life. “Before 2000, even Madhapur was green. Now it’s all concrete. Those memories shape my paintings,” he said. His art often reflects the contrast between expansion and erosion — the two faces of progress he has observed over nearly two decades of practice.
He plans to use the prize money for upcoming exhibitions and new work. “I feel more responsible after this,” he said. “Such competitions encourage students and give artists like us a chance to express our vision for the country’s growth. Development must keep its heart intact.”
