The Yogi government is making special preparations to connect the younger generation with Uttar Pradesh’s rich art, culture and living traditions, while also bringing artists from across the country onto a common platform. For this purpose, three major art workshops and camps will be organised in Ayodhya, Lucknow and Varanasi. Through these programmes, the cultural tradition of Ram and the Ramayana, folk and traditional painting, and the spiritual-cultural heritage of Kashi and the Ganga will be presented through art. Organised with the cooperation of the State Lalit Kala Akademi and various educational institutions, these events will also give young artists and art students an opportunity to learn from and interact with senior artists.
From October 22 to 26, a national workshop and lecture series on ‘Ram, Ramayana and Ayodhya’ will be organised in Ayodhya at Ram Ki Paidi/Guptar Ghat in collaboration with Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University. The event will witness the participation of 25 artists and 10 experts. Through the programme, the cultural heritage of Ram, the Ramayana and Ayodhya will be presented, enabling the younger generation, along with artists and experts, to understand Ayodhya’s living cultural tradition.
From November 18 to 22, the State Lalit Kala Akademi will organise the ‘Lokdhara’ Folk and Traditional Art Camp in Lucknow. Its objective is to provide a vibrant platform for the country’s folk and traditional arts, where renowned artists, young students and art enthusiasts can come together to understand, practise and work towards promoting traditional art forms. The camp will witness the participation of Padma Shri awardees, National Award-winning artists and senior traditional artists, along with around 35 to 40 practitioners of folk and traditional arts. Twenty-five selected senior art students from institutions in and around Lucknow will also participate.
At ‘Lokdhara’, special emphasis will be laid on live art creation and demonstrations, direct interaction with senior artists, learning techniques, practice and mentorship. Proposed participants include artists associated with various folk and traditional art forms such as Gond, Bhil, Godna, Pithora, Rajasthani, Kohbar and Madhubani. Senior artists including Padma Shri Durgabai, Padma Shri Bhuri Bai, Padma Shri Shivam Paswan, Padma Shri Paresh Rathwa, Padma Shri Mahavir Swami and Padma Shri Shyam Sharma, along with artists from different parts of the country and young artists from Uttar Pradesh, will participate. The camp will focus not merely on showcasing tradition but on carrying it forward to the younger generation and explaining its relevance in the contemporary context.
The five-day ‘Lokdhara’ will commence on November 18 with the inauguration, introduction of artists and the beginning of studio activities and art creation. On November 19, senior artists will conduct live demonstrations and technical interactions. November 20 will feature masterclasses, creative practice sessions and mentorship. On November 21, demonstrations on traditional techniques, question-and-answer sessions and practical learning activities will be organised. The programme will conclude on November 22 with the final art display, a glimpse of the exhibition and the closing ceremony.
The event will be supported by several institutions, including the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lucknow; the Department of Fine Arts, Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University; Amity University Lucknow; Goel Institute of Higher Studies; Techno Institute of Higher Studies; and Vamsi Institute of Fine Arts and Design.
A four-day ‘Kashi Flow’ International Art Camp and Exhibition will be organised on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi during the second week of December 2026. The event will be organised in joint collaboration with the Ganga Mahasabha and the State Lalit Kala Akademi, Uttar Pradesh. Its objective is to express and document Uttar Pradesh’s spiritual and cultural heritage, the Ganga, Kashi and its living traditions through art. Artists from different parts of the country will participate, including artists from Varanasi, Vrindavan, Dehradun, Mathura, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhopal, Odisha, Lakhimpur, Sirsa, Mau, Meerut and other places.
Through ‘Kashi Flow’, artists from India and abroad are envisaged to be provided an opportunity to understand and present Uttar Pradesh’s heritage, its preservation and its cultural richness through the language of art. The event will focus on the relationship between art, spirituality, heritage, people and the Ganga. Through this initiative, an effort will be made to creatively express the heritage associated with major cultural symbols of Uttar Pradesh, including the Ram Temple and Ram tradition of Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath Dham and the Kumbh tradition of Prayagraj. The programme is envisioned as a platform for creative dialogue and the preservation of living heritage for the future.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said, “The art and culture of Uttar Pradesh are not only our identity but also a priceless heritage for future generations. The state government’s effort is to connect this heritage with the lives of artists, students and the general public rather than limiting it to museums and archives.”
He added, “These art camps, centred on the cultural tradition of Ram and the Ramayana in Ayodhya, folk and traditional arts in Lucknow, and the spiritual heritage of the Ganga and Kashi in Varanasi, are part of this vision. Our objective is to pass on the experience of senior and renowned artists to young talent, promote traditional art forms in a contemporary context, and present Uttar Pradesh’s living cultural heritage before the nation and the world through a new creative language.”
Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs Department) Amrit Abhijat said that the broader objective of all three events is to create continuous dialogue between tradition, creativity and the younger generation. While ‘Lokdhara’ will provide new artists in traditional arts with opportunities for practical training, direct learning from senior artists and the creation of new artworks, it will also facilitate documentation of artistic techniques and processes. Along with developing strong collaboration among artists, educational institutions and communities, the possibility of taking it forward as an annual event in the future has also been envisaged. Similarly, the events in Ayodhya and Varanasi will work towards bringing the state’s living heritage to the younger generation and the wider artistic community through art. Through these initiatives, efforts will be made to provide a new direction to the spirit of ‘Our Culture, Our Strength’ by linking art, heritage, learning and creativity in Uttar Pradesh.
From Ram-Ramayana in Ayodhya to the Ganga in Kashi and Lokdhara in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh to host three major art events
From Gond to Madhubani and Bhil to Pithora, the country’s traditional art forms will come together on one platform at ‘Lokdhara’
The Ganga of Kashi will inspire artists; ‘Kashi Flow’ will showcase a living heritage through art
