A Chip off the Block

In the background unmindful of the cacophony near the KEM hospital where his studio is located he says,“I have been doing this since I was a little boy. Of course I moved to sculptures full time only 14 years back but all through college and my previous jobs I always made sculptures and I knew I would eventually come here.” The award,as he says,is given to one sculptor from the state based on their past and present works. Little wonder that he has won it. Amongst his impressive resume are,a nine-foot bronze statue of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw,installed at the Southern Command Headquarters,statue of Gen Arun Vaidya,the bust of Tehmi Grant,the wife of the late Dr KB Grant,installed at the Ruby Hall Clinic and a life sized bronze statue of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Karad.

As conversations shift beyond the award,he says that he has always approached his works with a spiritual thought in mind. “You need to feel calm and peaceful before beginning work on any sculpture in any medium. The resulting work is usually just like the person’s state of mind,” he says philosophically.

Interestingly as the conversations meander further he speaks about his working on various mediums. “I have worked on wood,epoxy raisin,imitation marble,bronze and even fiber,but I personally prefer bronze. It takes a long time to make them,around four to six months. This is because of the technique called the ‘lost wax method’,which is used to make them. The satisfaction of the finished product is beyond words,” he says.

While he is currently involved in actively creating statues of Lord Ganesh for the upcoming Ganesh festival next month,he says that he will never be able to replicate his best work again. “It is this statue of Sant Dynaneshwar,which I made,and is currently installed at the Vani Samaj Dharmashala in Alandi. Everyone who saw it agree with me that it is my best work and the people at the Dharmashala say it radiates peace and spirituality. I do not think I would go beyond that nor do I want to,” he says.