Delhi govt honours chess champ Anand, painter Ram Kumar

New Delhi: World chess Champion Viswanathan Anand and painter Ram Kumar were on Thursday conferred lifetime achievement award by Delhi Government for their outstanding contribution in the field of sports and art respectively. The honour was conferred by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at a function. Both of them were presented a cheque of Rs 11 lakh and a citation. Speaking on the occasion, Dikshit said her government was privileged to honour the World Chess Champion and the renowned painter. The 41-year-old chess champion had won the inaugural Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in the year 1991-1992, the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007. Ram Kumar’s paintings have gained global appreciation and he is considered as one of the most brilliant painters among his contemporaries. The Government of India awarded him the Padmashree in 1972.Dikshit said people like Anand and Kumar are assets of the nation who have significantly contributed to enriching the lives of people and the society. “Both of them have made the country proud because of their consistent and persistence passion to excel,” she said. Sahitya Kala Parishad under Government of Delhi instituted the lifetime achievement award in 2004 in the fields of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, sports and literature.The recipients so far have been MS Subbulakshmi, Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar, Ebrahim Alkazi, Zohra Sehgal, Kapila Vatsayan, late Habib Tanvir and Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi. PTI