Janki Lal Bhand
A Bhilwara bahurupiya, or impersonation artist, who has kept dozens of traditional characters alive, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Janki Lal Bhand is a bahurupiya, a performer who entertains by dressing up and taking on the character of different people, an art that goes back to the days of Rajasthan’s princely states. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Rajasthan [1].
A family art
He was born on 1 January 1943 in what is now Chittorgarh district, where he went to primary school [2]. He learned the art from his father [2]. To support his family he took work in Bhilwara, performing after working hours with his wife’s full support [2].
Many characters
Bhand has kept alive traditional characters that were in danger of disappearing, among them the Gadolia Lohar woman, the fakir, the Kabuli Pathan, Narada, Laila and Majnu, Hanuman and the monkey [2]. Audiences abroad have called him the “Monkey Man” [2].
He has performed across Rajasthan and in states such as Delhi, Punjab, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, as well as at the 1986 Apna Utsav festival in Delhi [2]. Abroad, he took part in the Glasgow fair in 1990 and a European tour in 1991 that included Berlin, London and Birmingham [2].
Honours
He has been honoured many times by the West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, and in 2023 received the Rajasthan government’s Kala Purodha award [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Janki Lal Bhand — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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