Kalidas Shrestha - Biography

Biography

In his words, "Nepalese people didn't know much about art, it was just confined only in the walls of Rana's Durbars." To change this and to make Nepalese people art-literate Prof. Shrestha has played a major role. All appreciated his work and he was often invited to Rana palaces to teach art to the family members of Rana's. In 1960 he started organizing art exhibition and encourages and promotes other Nepalese artists. He also established an art gallery at his home and sold his paintings for 200 to 250 Rupees at that time. An explorer, inventor in nature Shrestha started to paint Nanglo bamboo trays, which became very famous. He was even offered a contract to paint hundred thousand of such Nanglo paintings but the creator refused the offer; the reason: “Art is created from heart: to make in mass is not creating but manufacturing”.

Soon he was back in his walk to promote Nepalese art and took the initiative to request King Mahendra to open a College of Fine Arts in Nepal. He was involved in its establishment in 1967 and for many years took the charge. He literally contributed his life in the establishment of this college. He personally used to save money and invest in the development of the college. His involvement in the development and welfare of the college took most of his time at times even at the cost of his personal responsibilities. At 1973, he was appointed as the First Campus Chief of the Fine Art Campus. While being Campus Chief in Fine Art Campus, he introduced the importance of Fine Art to the students of other Campus as optional subjects to Padma Kanya Campus, Ratna Rajya Campus, Saraswati Campus, Public Youth Campus, Patan Campus to produce the qualitative and quantitative students in Art for the seek of development in Art. From early morning till late nights he would be at the college, he had less time for his family and even for himself. "You are not god and you too have to eat", his wife late Kamala Maiya Joshi Shrestha would complain everyday. He smiled and shared that due to his involvement and attachment with the college she even proposed Campus-Das as his new name.

Eighty-four-year-old Kalidas is content with his achievements; important contemporary artists respect him for his contribution to Nepalese art. But this achievement did not come easy. Even today to entirely submit oneself to art and to make a career out of it is new in present Nepal; to take that step decades ago is worth admiration. It is also obvious that all did not welcome the unconventional step; his parents were also surprised and advised him to change his interest. But young Kalidas followed his heart and achieved all that he wanted on his. “To excel in art, one needs dedication and discipline”, believes Shrestha. It is because of his utmost dedication to grow Nepalese art he is now recognized as a living art legend by the art community and the nation's art historians. He has devoted 71 years in nurturing this field. When asked he has any regrets and felt he could have achieved more had he chosen other profession, Kalidas Shrestha with a proud smile expressed that he has no regrets and is very satisfied with all his achievements and feels proud of being a Nepali artist.

By now Nepalese art that had gained popularity nationally and internationally, but there was no any further study in this subject in Nepal. And this was Shrestha’s new mission: to open Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in fine arts in Nepal. For that, he proposed few students who had passed the Intermediate in Fine Arts (IFA) to be sent to Banaras and Delhi for further training. His aggressiveness was what Nepalese art’s future rested on and he played the part of the rebel to its fullest. He decided to resign from the faculty if his demand was not fulfilled, he expressed, “If art is the identity of this country the education level of arts should not be limited in Intermediate level”. His colleague supported him in this to improvise the quality BFA education. It was the need and he said, "If we could establish the BFA education, the prestige of the artist and Nepal remains otherwise it would proved that all the artists and education itself are imprudent." This way BFA was introduced in 1982. His goal for Art education was not fulfilled totally as he wanted to upgrade the art education at the level of Master of Fine Arts (MFA). So he made many plans for MFA and submitted to then Dean’s Office, Ministry of Education. He had submitted syllabus for Masters in Art many times. But his term for Campus Chief was concluded and it is thirty years now that his wish for MFA is not fulfilled. Even today, he is trying hard for that level from outside. In opening ceremony of ‘Lalit Bagaicha’ in Fine Arts Campus recently, he said, he will say ‘No’ to Death, if it comes to him, until MFA is opened.

He is the Founder and Chairman of Kamala Memorial Community Service Center (KMCSC) and Chairman of Arniko Rastriya Yuwa Sewa Kosh.

Many articles had been published about his art in Rolla Daily News as well as national and international news papers. He is honorable member of Nepal Academy, and secretariat of Nepal Kala Samiti. He has travelled in many places of Nepal and in India for the development of Nepalese Arts and was invited in Germany in 1978. He was invited by Honorable Mayor of Rolla, Missouri, USA, Mr. Joseph Morgan in 2001 and did one solo art exhibition in USA. He was also invited in Sweden in 2003 from the President of Sweden Svenesk Unifem Committee, Mrs. Analena Henarikasan and did one solo art exhibition in Sweden in that year.

He is old but his mind is not. Good things are still going on.

He is satisfied that the most of the good artists found in our country nowadays have graduated from the College of Fine Arts and many more going to be that he helped to found. It was because of his dedication and aggressiveness Nepalese art is in this stage- he is a rebel with a vision, a pioneer and a proud Nepali artist and a blessing to Nepalese art.