Artist Asai Rasiah

The late Asai Rasiah, a distinguished Tamil artist, was born in 1946 in Atchuveli, Sri Lanka. From 1966 to 1969, he attended the School of Arts & Crafts in Colombo. Afterwards, he served as an art teacher at Royal College. Rasiah relocated from Colombo to Jaffna in 1983, where he spent the remainder of his life.

His artistic endeavours primarily focused on depicting Tamil people, the Jaffna landscape, and its culture. He showcased his work at the National Art Gallery in Colombo and the University of Jaffna and published a book titled 'Vimbam' which illustrated his paintings. Rasiah was honoured with several Sri Lankan awards, including the Kalaignanachchudar Award, Governor of the Northern Province Award, Kalapushanam Award, and Colombo Tamil Sangam Award.