NEW DELHI: World famous Malayali painter and sculptor A Ramachandran (89) passed away. The country had honored him with the Padma Bhushan in 2005. He was also proficient in music and writing.

He passed away yesterday morning at 09:15 at house number 22, Lakshmi Nagar Bharti Artist Colony, Delhi due to old age related ailments.
His wife Tan Yuan Chameli and his son Rahul were nearby at the time of his death. His daughter Sujata, who is in Canada, may reach Delhi by tonight. A public display of his body will happen at Travancore House tomorrow from 10 am to 1 pm. Burial will be at Lodhi Road Crematorium at 2 pm.
Ramachandran's wife Tan Yuan Chameli who is an artist, is the daughter of Tan Yun-Shan, a Chinese scholar and founder of the China House in Santiniketan.

Achuthan Ramachandran Nair alias A Ramachandran, born in Attingal in 1935, completed his Masters in Malayalam from the University of Kerala. He became a music artist in Thiruvananthapuram Akashvani. He drew cartoons during college and was educated in Fine Arts at Santiniketan. In 1965, he became an art teacher at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi. He has served as Honorary Chairman of Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy.

'Yayati" is a famous work by A. Ramachandran, retelling the story of Yayati from the Mahabharata as a series of paintings. Ramachandran's painting took a turn to Indian murals through Yayati.

In 2013, MG University honoured him with a doctorate. The massive granite sculpture at the Sriperumbudur memorial where former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated was done by A Ramachandran. Picture books for children have been published in India, America, Britain and Japan. For this, he won the international award NOMA Award in 1978 and 1980. Ramachandran's original books are kept at the Children's Book Museum in Miyazaki, Japan.