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Haryana artists carving their way to the top
The grounds of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s Power Training Institute in Madanpur, Panchkula have transformed into an art studio as sculptors, as part of the HVPNL’s national sculpture camp, are chiselling blocks of black marble and transforming them into works of art
The grounds of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s Power Training Institute in Madanpur, Panchkula have transformed into an art studio as sculptors, as part of the HVPNL’s national sculpture camp, are chiselling blocks of black marble and transforming them into works of art.
The enthusiasm and creative flow are hard to miss as the sculptors, exploring multiple themes and working on nine sculptures, ranging from 8-ft to 22-ft high, begin work at 6am and continue on their pieces till 9pm.
The eight-member team, led by art and cultural officer (sculpture) of the Haryana art and cultural affairs department, Hirday Kaushal, includes seven women.
“We shared our ideas, and reference pieces and held discussions to come up with these unique contemporary and conceptual pieces. The idea of the camp is to bring women artists to the forefront,” Kaushal says.
Procuring a 40-tonne stone took months. We started the process in December last year and finally managed to get it here on time for the camp, he adds.
Most of the artists participating in the camp are self-taught and have no professional training.
Sculptor Swati Nautiyal, 26, from Panipat, says, “It’s a great learning experience. Usually at camps we only get to work on small stones, but here the pieces are huge!”
Artist Raveena, 22, from Sirsa, adds, “We had no idea that the HVPNL also comes up with such interesting projects. Here we realised that art really does bring people together!”
Jind’s Meenakshi Sharma, 56, who has previously worked on making Mansa Devi temple’s logo, says working at this camp has been therapeutic. She is working on a sculpture with a base of lotus which symbolises resilience. Going with the theme of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (75th year of Independence), the sculpture further includes an open cage, a peacock flying out and a lantern representing inner light or enlightenment.
Another participant Suman Sharma, who is also MSc in Botany, is working on a sculpture representing the five elements of life (Earth, water, fire, air, and space) and the circle of life.
The main attraction, however, says Kaushal, is the 22-ft ‘Shakti Stambh’ being built on the concept of ‘No. 1 Haryana’. It includes 22 pillars representing 22 districts of the state, religious symbol Sri Yantra, a tortoise representing longevity, an elephant for good fortune, and ‘kalash’ for prosperity, among other motifs highlighting what each district in Haryana is popular for.
“The workshop is an amalgamation of the art of sculpting, culture and rich history of the state and HVPNL,” says Haryana ACS (power) PK Das.
This is the first of its kind experimental camp and will help put Haryana tourism and art on the global map. Haryanvi culture and India’s rich heritage will be beautifully depicted in these sculptures, adds TL Satyaprakash, MD, HVPNL.
