View source for Draft:Chitralekha Singh

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| title=Chitralekha Singh – Artist, Author and Art Educator
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| keywords=Chitralekha Singh, Who is Chitralekha Singh, Chitralekha Singh Wiki, Chitralekha Singh Biography, Chitralekha Singh Contact, Chitralekha Singh D.Litt, Chitralekha Singh Agra, Chitralekha Singh Mewar University, Chitralekha Singh Fine Arts
| description=Chitralekha Singh is an Indian artist, author, and art educator based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, known as the first woman in the world to receive a D.Litt. in Painting, and Dean of Fine Arts at Mewar University.
| image=Chitralekha Singh.jpeg
| image_alt=Chitralekha Singh profile image
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{{FeaturedSnippet
| snippet1=Chitralekha Singh is an Indian artist, author, and art educator known as the first woman in the world to receive a D.Litt. in Painting.
| snippet2=Who is Chitralekha Singh? Chitralekha Singh is an artist and author based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, serving as Dean of Humanities, Social Science, Fine and Performing Arts, Yoga, and Astrology at Mewar University, and author of nearly 30 published books.
| snippet3=Chitralekha Singh Contact? Chitralekha Singh can be reached through her official website, Facebook, and Instagram profiles.
| keywords=Chitralekha Singh, Who is Chitralekha Singh, Chitralekha Singh Wiki, Chitralekha Singh Biography, Chitralekha Singh Contact, Chitralekha Singh D.Litt, Chitralekha Singh Agra, Chitralekha Singh Mewar University, Chitralekha Singh Fine Arts
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{{infow
| title = Chitralekha Singh [[file:verified.png]]
| image = Chitralekha Singh.jpeg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Chitralekha Singh
| born = 20 June 1945
| nationality = Indian
| occupation = Artist, Author, Art Educator
| residence = Agra, Uttar Pradesh
| education = M.A., Ph.D. ("Kala Guru Nandlal Bose tatha unki kala sadhna"), D.Litt. ("Bhartiya Chitra Kala Main Siva, 1600–1900")
| yearsactive = 1974–present
| knownfor = First Woman in the World to Receive a D.Litt. in Painting, Dean of Fine Arts (Mewar University), Author of Nearly 30 Books, Founder of Chitralekha: The Village of Art
| website = [https://www.artistchitralekha.com Official Website]
}}
Chitralekha Singh is an Indian artist, author, and art educator based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. She is recognised as the first woman in the world to receive a D.Litt. in Painting, awarded by Agra University. She currently serves as Dean of Humanities and Social Science, Fine and Performing Arts, Yoga, and Astrology at Mewar University, Gangrar, Chittorgarh, and has previously held academic leadership roles at Mangalayatan University, Aligarh, and BESVO, Aligarh.

==Early Life==

Chitralekha Singh was born on 20 June 1945. According to one account, she studied up to the fifth standard in Bathinda before continuing at mission schools, and completed her education from high school through intermediate at PG Girls College, Agra, where her artistic talent began to develop significantly. She showed an interest in painting from childhood, and her early work, including a depiction of a burning funeral pyre, drew praise from art scholars. Her mentor, Rameshwar Prasad Shukla, guided her into the field of art with the encouragement of her parents.

==Education==

Chitralekha Singh completed her graduation and postgraduation in painting, followed by an M.A., a Ph.D. on "Kala Guru Nandlal Bose tatha unki kala sadhna" (Art Guru Nandlal Bose and his artistic pursuit), and a D.Litt. on "Bhartiya Chitra Kala Main Siva (1600–1900)" (Shiva in Indian Painting, 1600–1900), becoming the first woman in the world to receive a D.Litt. in Painting.

==Career==

Chitralekha Singh began her academic career as a Lecturer in Painting at Agra University, later becoming Reader and Head of the Department of Fine Arts at Agra College, Agra. She served as a University Grants Commission (UGC) Research Associate from 1974 to 1984, and worked on a UGC Minor Research Project (1993–1995), a UGC Major Research Project (1998–2001), and an Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) short-term project (1990–1992).

She served as Founder-Director of Lalit Kala Sansthan, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra, and as Founder Dean of the Institute of Visual and Performing Arts and Research, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh, and Dean of the Institute of Visual and Performing Art at Vishwamitrapuri (BESVO), Aligarh. She currently serves as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, Yoga, and Astrology at Mewar University, Gangrar, Chittorgarh.

She has served as an examiner for six universities and as a research guide for four universities. Sources vary on the number of scholars she has guided: one account states she has guided 37 Ph.D. scholars and 150 M.Phil. scholars (with degrees awarded), while other accounts describe her as having guided 100 Ph.D. scholars and 215 M.Phil. scholars, or alternatively 60 Ph.D. and 250 M.Phil. awardees.

She served as a Captain in the National Cadet Corps (NCC), retiring as a holder of the Defence Secretariat Commendation Card.

===Exhibitions and Collections===

Chitralekha Singh has held approximately 20 solo exhibitions and 32 group exhibitions in India and abroad. Her paintings are held in collections in Bangladesh, Holland, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria, Rome, the United States, China, and Canada, in addition to India.

She has travelled internationally for art and cultural promotion and to spread messages of world peace, visiting Italy (Rome, Vatican, Milan, Venice, Florence), France, Mauritius, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Shaoxing, Hong Kong), Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore), the United States (Youngstown, Milwaukee, Washington D.C., Newark, Chicago, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Pittsburgh), Canada (Toronto), Sri Lanka, and Nepal, at times accompanied by her daughters Tulika and Lipika.

She has participated in numerous seminars and workshops, including at Agra College, Agra (1981); B.D. Jain College, Agra (1990); Sahu Ram Swaroop College, Bareilly (1994, 1996); Lalit Kala Sansthan, Agra (2002); an international workshop in Mauritius (2004); and a World Sindhi Foundation seminar in Karachi, Pakistan (2006), among others held in Allahabad, New Delhi, Ujjain, Noida, Lucknow, Gwalior, Alibaug, Dhanbad, and Tonk, Rajasthan, between 1986 and 2009.

===Art Practice===

Chitralekha Singh's work is primarily spiritual in theme, favouring wash and tempera/oil painting techniques, as well as acrylic on canvas. She works in layers of colour, developing expression and mood through light and shade effects, and creates figurative paintings with nature-inspired backgrounds. She favours working in thematic series, with notable series including Shiva, Buddha, World Peace, Indian Woman (Bharatiya Nari), Wanderer (Yayavari), Divine Light (Divya Jyoti), Divine Knowledge (Divya Gyan), Shriyantra, Aravali, Sadhu, and Divine Flower (Divya Pushp).

==Publications==

Chitralekha Singh has authored or co-authored approximately 28 published books, with more than 15 additional titles reported to be under publication. Her works include "The Paintings of Shiva in Indian Art" (two volumes), "Drawings of Rajasthan," "Art of Japan," "Chinese Painting," "Durga," "Ganesh," "Hanuman," "Lakshmi," "1008 Names of Shiva," "Kali," "Saraswati," "Hindu Goddesses," "Hindu Caste, Custom and Ceremony," "Hindu Fairs and Festivals," "The Great Religions of the World," "Shiva the Great God," "Kala Shikshan" (Art Teaching), "Kala Shiksha" (Art Education), "Kala Shikshan Shikshak evam Shikshathi" (Art Teacher and Learner), "An Elementary History of Indian Art," "Aesthetics and Art Critical History," "Mere Sahyatri Mere Path Pradarshak" (My Co-travellers, My Guides), and a five-volume "Encyclopedia History of Indian Art," among others.

A biography of her, titled "Dr Chitralekha Singh: The Artist," was authored by Devendra Mohan.

==Achievements==

Chitralekha Singh has received numerous awards and honours throughout her career, including recognitions from Sanskar Bharti, Jaipur (1985) and Agra (Guru Purnima, 1999; Guru Samman); an award presented by Murli Manohar Joshi at the Mahakumbh, Allahabad (2001); an honour from the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Vishnu Kant Shastri, in Varanasi (2000); recognition from Pragatishil Yuva Sangh (1990); a recognition in Carolina, USA (1998); Kala Vibhushan, Dhanbad; Mala, Moradabad; recognitions from Mahatma Gandhi College, Firozabad, and institutions in Kanpur; Swasti Samman, Ujjain; Kala Vibhuti Samman, Dhanbad (2007); and the Gandhi Medal "Kala Ratna" award, Tonk, Rajasthan (2009).

She has also received the DLA Award, the Rupayan Achievers Award (2013), recognition in the International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women, Carolina, USA (1998), honorary membership of the Advisory Board of the American Biographical Institute, USA (1998) and lifetime Advisory Board membership of the American Biographical Society, a listing among 400 enterprising women of the world in the American "Who's Who" publication, and honorary membership of the Advisory Committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art, HRD Ministry, Delhi. Her painting "Divya Gyan" (The Enlightenment) was selected for the Art Prize at a major international art event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, in 2014.

==Philanthropy==

Chitralekha Singh founded "Chitralekha: The Village of Art," a society based in Agra that supports folk arts and young and established painters with facilities for their work. She also founded "Chitralekha Public School," aimed at nurturing aesthetic sensibility in art-inclined students from childhood. She continues to devote her time to promoting art and culture through the society.

==External Links==
* [https://www.artistchitralekha.com Official Website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/chitralekha.singh.1401/ Facebook]
* [https://www.instagram.com/dr.chitralekhasingh/ Instagram – @dr.chitralekhasingh]

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