Journalism of Courage
For sculptor Abhijit Dhondphale,who was recently awarded the Shilp Gaurav Puraskar,there is a deep connect between his works and spirituality
Seated with a file and a chisel on a rickety chair,Abhijit Dhondphale blows off the dust off a half finished statue of Lord Ganesh. With the nimble dexterity of a surgeon he proceeds to highlight the tusks and the forehead of the sculpture. After that he pauses to take a look at it and continues to work on the same corner till he is satisfied with it. Perfection and precision are important criteria to make a good sculpture better, he says,taking a well-deserved break from his work. It is this dedication to his work that has recently seen the third generation sculptor receive the prestigious Shilp Gaurav Puraskar which is awarded by the BR Khedkar Foundation. Considered to be one of the highest honours in the state the award was given to him on August 12 at the Mahalaxmi Hall in Parvati.
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.
