Artist Venki, an acclaimed book illustrator from Kerala, will receive the first Living Leaf Artist Award at CMS College, Kottayam, on 28 February 2026. Honoured for decades of contribution to children’s literature and book design, Venki’s journey reflects dedication, courage, and artistic excellence.
On the afternoon of 28 February 2026, the stately Great Hall of CMS College will echo with applause as one of Kerala’s most respected illustrators steps forward to receive a singular honour. The first Living Leaf Artist Award for the most outstanding book illustrators will be presented to Venki, marking a milestone not only in his career but in the recognition of illustration as a powerful literary art form. The award will be conferred by Dr. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Jio University Advisor and Professor of Eminence, lending academic gravitas to an occasion that celebrates imagination, craft and perseverance.
For Venki, born in Palakkad in 1967, the award represents a full-circle moment in a life shaped by instinctive choices and unwavering passion. His journey into art was not linear. He first graduated in Commerce from Government Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1987, following a path that seemed practical and predictable. Yet numbers and ledgers never stirred his spirit the way colours and contours did.
“I graduated in Commerce first and then realised that this is not my area,” Venki recalls with characteristic candour. “I knew that a profession in Commerce would never be enjoyable to me and so I decided to join art school. I was not sure whether I would get a job after a graduation in fine arts, but since I was so much in love with art, I decided not to choose any other profession.”
It was a leap of faith that would define his life. After Commerce, he enrolled at the College of Fine Arts in Trivandrum to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. At a time when artistic careers were often viewed with scepticism, his decision required conviction. There were no guarantees of stability or income, only the certainty of personal fulfilment.
That conviction bore fruit in the years that followed. After graduation, Venki joined The New Indian Express in Kochi, where he spent a decade refining his craft in the fast-paced world of journalism and publishing. The newsroom became his laboratory. Deadlines sharpened his discipline; editorial collaborations deepened his understanding of narrative; and constant engagement with writers and designers broadened his visual vocabulary.
Those ten years were formative. They taught him how to translate complex ideas into compelling images, how to create illustrations that did not merely accompany text but elevated it. In children’s literature especially, his work began to stand out for its warmth, clarity and emotional intelligence. His lines carried movement; his characters breathed; his palettes conveyed mood with subtlety.
Eventually, confident in his voice and vision, Venki established his own studio in Kochi and began working independently. The move allowed him greater creative freedom and closer collaboration with authors and publishers. It also marked the beginning of a prolific phase that would earn him some of the most prestigious recognitions in the field of book illustration and design.
He won the Bhima Balasahithya Award for Best Cover Design twice, in 1992 and 1995, affirming his ability to capture a book’s essence in a single, arresting image. Later, the State Institute of Children’s Literature honoured him with the State Award for Best Illustration and Book Design twice, in 1998 and 2010. These awards were not mere trophies but markers of sustained excellence across decades.
Colleagues often describe Venki’s work as quietly transformative. In a publishing landscape sometimes driven by commercial templates and hurried production cycles, he insists on depth and authenticity. His illustrations for children’s books are known for their empathy; they do not patronise young readers but respect their intelligence and emotional range. Animals, landscapes, fantastical beings and everyday people alike are rendered with attentive detail and expressive nuance.
The Living Leaf Artist Award arrives at a moment when the role of the illustrator is gaining renewed attention. In an age dominated by screens and fleeting digital visuals, the tactile intimacy of a book illustration carries special significance. Each page invites pause; each image invites contemplation. The award’s very name suggests growth, vitality and continuity — a living leaf that draws sustenance from tradition while reaching toward new light.
By choosing Venki as its inaugural recipient, the organisers underline the importance of lifetime dedication rather than transient fame. His body of work spans more than three decades, touching generations of readers. For many Malayali children, his illustrations have been their first encounter with visual storytelling. Through festivals, folktales, school readers and literary adaptations, his art has shaped imaginations quietly yet indelibly.
The ceremony at CMS College’s Great Hall promises to be both celebratory and reflective. As one of Kerala’s oldest educational institutions, the college provides a fitting backdrop for an award that honours learning and creativity. Dr. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai’s presence as chief guest adds further resonance. An academic of national repute and advisor to Jio University, he symbolises the bridge between scholarship and artistic endeavour, underscoring that illustration is not a peripheral craft but a vital intellectual and cultural contribution.
For younger artists and students expected to attend, Venki’s story offers reassurance. It speaks of uncertainty embraced rather than avoided, of risk undertaken for love rather than security. His candid admission that he was unsure about job prospects after fine arts graduation makes his later achievements even more inspiring. Success did not arrive overnight; it was built patiently, project by project, sketch by sketch.
Friends say that despite his accolades, Venki remains grounded, more interested in the next drawing than in past honours. His Kochi studio continues to buzz with activity — preliminary sketches pinned to boards, colour swatches scattered across desks, manuscripts awaiting visual interpretation. The tools may have evolved over the years, incorporating digital techniques alongside traditional media, but his commitment to storytelling through images remains unchanged.
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