Dipanshu Biswas displays his two unsold paintings in Ranchi on Sunday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Dec. 28: He is just an artist of 15 years, but he has already painted an indelible mark on the canvas.

Barely in his teens, Dipanshu Biswas has achieved what many veterans of the trade from the tribal heartland have failed to do over years. He shot to limelight when four of his paintings sold instantly at a national cultural festival, Unity in Diversity, held in Bhubaneswar this month.

The programme was organised by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, ministry of culture, Government of India, from December 18 to 22. Around 84 students from 12 states participated in the function. Biswas, a student of Class IX of Surendranath Centenary School, was the only representative from Jharkhand.

Along with dance and singing competitions, a painting competition-cum-exhibition was held, in which Biswas had participated. And no sooner had the paints dried on the canvas than art connoisseurs picked his paintings up.

The paintings were displayed at the art gallery of Ravindra Mandap hall, along with those of other painters from across the country, on December 23.

“I had made six paintings of which four got sold during the exhibition. The themes of the paintings were a modern park, water, Tagore Hill and a village,” said Biswas.

The other two depicted the Jagganathpur fair and a meet of people of different religions. “During our five-day stay, we were told to show our artistic skills by painting on different topics. Though I would have been happier if all my paintings had found takers, I am satisfied that at least four of them got sold. It brought happiness to my family and my art teacher Pravin Karamkar. I have been learning painting from him for the past six years and owe my achievements to him,” said the budding painter.

Biswas has been the recipient of a scholarship in visual arts from Centre for Cultural Resources and Training since 2004.

Besides, some of his paintings were also part of Tanishq New Year calendar in 2005 and 2008 while the ones on rural India were used in the Horlicks New Year calendar, he added.

There’s more to the list of accolades. He has bagged 40-50 prizes in paintings. He is a regular winner at the winter rose show and postal department painting competitions.