Report & Pics: Joshwa D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 6: It is rightly said, 'A sculptor uses his hand as a medium to express the feelings stored in his heart to fill life into the statue'. If one visits the Kalaangann premises at Shaktinagar in the city one will feel this statement has been reciprocated there, thanks to Mandd Sobhann and the Karnataka Shilpakala Academy who organised a 14-day cement sculpting camp at Kalaangann beginning from July 25.
During the camp, 20 sculptors from across the state worked on the 15 statues which depict the various figures of Konkani folklore across the Konkan coast spread from Maharashtra to Kerala. Be it the GSBs or the Konkani speaking Catholics, the Navayaths or the Goans, every tradition has been represented by a unique statue that will be open for display on Sunday August 7.
Most of the sculptors have been working hard from 8 am to 10 pm, putting their heart and soul into the statues.
A sculptor haling from Belagavi, Parashuram Rajakannavara who has been working till midnight daily to complete the task, says that his profession is to sculpt garden statues. He is among the senior sculptors in the camp.
All the sculptors were given the initial description and the sketches of the characters by Mandd Sobhann Gurkar Eric Ozario on July 25 and were provided the necessary raw materials. The initial few days were spent on making the skeleton of the statue using iron rods and later gravels and bricks were filled inside to give the shape.
The next stage included moulding the statue with cement. Another senior sculptor from Shivamogga, Vinayak, says that the cement and the sand are mixed in 1:1 ratio at this stage to give a rough shape. "In the next stage, since it requires more roughness, a mixture of sand and cement in the proportion 3:1 is used. The next stage includes the final cement layer. While a few of us use only cement for this, others use a mixture of marble powder and cement. The statue is treated with water four times a day - once before we commence the work and three times during the work. Care has to be taken so that there is a firm and steady hand movement as the cement etch cannot be reversed. After the completion, it requires 15 more days for curing and then the statues are ready for paint. If the curing is done perfectly then the statues will last at least for 100 years."
Assistant sculptor Anand Kumar from Davanagere who is in the city for the first time said that all the sculptors came to the camp with their own tools picked with perfection from their hometown. "The camp organisers have arranged everything for us except the tools and even though I have been a sculptor of temple towers from 13 years, it is for the first time I am participating in a camp. An urge to eat fish here also brought me to the camp," he says with a smile.
Accommodation for the sculptors was arranged in Kalaangann by Mandd Sobhann and the camp has been conducted in a shed next to the Kalangann entrance. Since its beginning on July 25 it has been a venue of interest for the locals and passersby as every onlooker spends at least a few minutes observing the new phenomenon or clicking pictures.
Ivan D’Souza, MLC and chief whip of the Karnataka Legislative Council, will be unveiling the statues at 5 pm on August 7. Mahadevappa Shambhulingappa Shilpi, president of Karnataka Shilpakala Academy will preside over the programme. Roy Castelino, president of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy will be present as the chief guest and Louis J Pinto, president of Mandd Sobhann and Indramma H V, registrar of Karnataka Shilpakala Academy will also be present.