ShakthiDass
Encyclopedia
Pastula Venkatrao better known by his brush name Shakthi Dass, or its variants ShakthiDass and Shakthi Das is an Indian
artist. He has worked as a painter, sketcher and cover artist for various child magazines, comics and newspapers throughout the last four decades. His works are created in a variety of media including oil
, watercolor
, and acrylic
paintings as well as works in glass and pencil.
district of Andhra Pradesh
. He is born in Gouda
's family to Sri
.Pastula Anjaneyula Gouda
and Smt
. Pastula Annapurna. His grandfather Sri
. Pastula Sagaram was a Gandhian and then M.L.C.
Pastula Venkatrao named his paintbrush as "Shakthi Dass". "Shakthi" stands for "power" in Hindu mythology and "Dass" means "dedication." He started naming his paintings with name "Shakthi Dass," which ultimately became his professional name.
from Eluru
in Andhra Pradesh
. He has studied under gurus Ketha Samba Moorthy, and Kudaravalli Nageshwar Rao, and was the only student of guru Vaddadi Papayya.
for a local church in his village; that picture is currently in the church of Italy.
Shakthidass moved to Chennai
, formerly Madras, for employment in painting career and joined Ketha Cini Publicity studios in 1968 as a cinema publicity designer, preparing sketches for film sets. Later he joined M.V.S Publishers to sketch wrappers for their novels.
, his illustrations featuring medieval Indian depictions covering kings, queens, and witches from ancient mythology and folklore.
He later did numerous wrappers, storyboard illustration, and sketches for various magazines and novels in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
, English
and Oriya
languages. These included Bommarillu, Chandamama, Balamitra, Nandanam, Bujjayi, Balabharati, Kumkuma, Dinakaran
, Vasuki , Rishi Petam, Rotary News, Vijaya Publications, Oriya News, Chinnari, and Kannada Chokkalingam.
and English
. Chandrabala is an illustrated magazine that covers themes including mythology,history, and culture.
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
artist. He has worked as a painter, sketcher and cover artist for various child magazines, comics and newspapers throughout the last four decades. His works are created in a variety of media including oil
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
, watercolor
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
, and acrylic
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
paintings as well as works in glass and pencil.
Early life
Shakthidass was born at the village of Aratlakallu near Palakol in West GodavariWest Godavari
West Godavari District is one of the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Eluru, is the district headquarter...
district of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. He is born in Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
's family to Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
.Pastula Anjaneyula Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
and Smt
Smt
Shrimati or Srimati , abbreviated Smt., is the standard Indian honorific used when referring to an adult, married female in various Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam, Telugu and sometimes in English as well . The equivalent title for men is Shri or Sri....
. Pastula Annapurna. His grandfather Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
. Pastula Sagaram was a Gandhian and then M.L.C.
Pastula Venkatrao named his paintbrush as "Shakthi Dass". "Shakthi" stands for "power" in Hindu mythology and "Dass" means "dedication." He started naming his paintings with name "Shakthi Dass," which ultimately became his professional name.
Education
Shakthidass completed his Bachelors in Arts from Andhra UniversityAndhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
from Eluru
Eluru
Eluru is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the headquarters of West Godavari district and has a population of 5,15,343 approximately. Eluru is situated on the national highway NH 5 connecting Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and about east of state...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. He has studied under gurus Ketha Samba Moorthy, and Kudaravalli Nageshwar Rao, and was the only student of guru Vaddadi Papayya.
Early career
Shakthidass earned his first income of 74 Indian rupees when he painted a picture of MaryMary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
for a local church in his village; that picture is currently in the church of Italy.
Shakthidass moved to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, formerly Madras, for employment in painting career and joined Ketha Cini Publicity studios in 1968 as a cinema publicity designer, preparing sketches for film sets. Later he joined M.V.S Publishers to sketch wrappers for their novels.
Later illustrations
During the 1990s and 2000s, Shakthidass designed the covers of the children's magazine ChandamamaChandamama
Chandamama in Kannada and Telugu means moon. It may refer to:* Chandamama, an Indian monthly magazine focused on kids and youngsters* Chandamama , a Malayalam film starring Kunchacko Boban...
, his illustrations featuring medieval Indian depictions covering kings, queens, and witches from ancient mythology and folklore.
He later did numerous wrappers, storyboard illustration, and sketches for various magazines and novels in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
languages. These included Bommarillu, Chandamama, Balamitra, Nandanam, Bujjayi, Balabharati, Kumkuma, Dinakaran
Dinakaran
Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
, Vasuki , Rishi Petam, Rotary News, Vijaya Publications, Oriya News, Chinnari, and Kannada Chokkalingam.
Chandrabala
In 2009, Shakthidass created a children's magazine called Chandrabala. It is written TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Chandrabala is an illustrated magazine that covers themes including mythology,history, and culture.