Prof. Ranjan Mallik bom in Balasore, Odisha, India in 1976. He obtained BFA in Painting from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. He completed his MFA in Painting and M.Phil in History of Art from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra in the year 2003 and then served the same department as a faculty. He was conferred Ph.D. in Jain Art by Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodya Vish wavidyalaya in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2014.

Prof. Mallik has presented more than 25 papers on art and aesthetics in national and international joumals, conferences along with several articles contributions and 04 books. An artist, academician, researcher and curator, Prof. Mallik has received numerous national & international awards, honors and achievements to his credit. Over the years, he has emerged as an important figure at national and international arena. He had also served in the past as academic head at Arena Animation & Picasso Animation College, New Delhi and HOD of School of Fine Arts at Amity University, Haryana. Currently, he is serving as Dean, Dept. of Fine Arts, Chitkara Design School Chitkara University, Punjab.

Prof Mallik also devoted his time to organize art promotional activities in national and international level such as art camps, workshops and exhibitions, seminars, symposiums etc. To promote social activities, Malik plays pivotal role in generating funds for the affected people of natural calamity, educating the needy and budding artists. He is associated with many prestigious organizations like Rock Art of India, Art History Con gress. Artist for Artist's Association of Odisha (AAO) (as an advisor), Chhavi Mela, New Delhi, Kalinga Literature and Art Festival, Jayanta Mahapatra International Center, Million Dreams Literary Festival and many. Recently, be lead as a mentor in huge project "Kala Kumbh: Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Struggle (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava-2022) under the Ministry of Culture, NGMA and Ministry of Defense in collaboration with Chitkara University, Punjab where 300 artists from 13 states took participation from India.

India is a unique country. It's one of the very ancient cultures, the Indian subcontinent like China, Japan, Egypt, Persia, Africa, etc. India is also a country where many cultures, religions have been interlinked, shared for centuries. Different kinds of traditional arts, crafts, dance, architecture, and music have been inspired by each other very homogeneously. A terracotta oil lamp has retained its original form for thousands of years.

Although am a contemporary Indian artist, am deeply interested in the traditional art forms which are still alive, made, and used even today. In spite of various invasions, food, language, arts and crafts have survived. The Colonial rule realized the richness of our culture and did not want us to progress and gave us an inferiority complex. Our traditional art forms are very powerful, poetic, and lyrical, whereas our contemporary art is borrowed from the west and ignored the richness of our heritage.

The kind of sculpture with monolithic rocks at Elora, Ajanta murals, the temple sculpture of Mahabalipuram, Konark, etc. have a distinct poetic fervor, India is a gold mine for artists and scholars to comprehend and digest, one life is not enough. Although I am a contemporary artist, am deeply influenced and enamored by our art forms. My role model is Kumar Gandharva, Bhimsen Joshi, Kalidas, and Kabir.

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