Sudarsan-the artist with difference

KORAPUT: There is a ladder and at the end of it Lord Jagannath smiles with his loving eyes . Sudarsan says the ladder symbolized the 22 sacred steps in the temple , crossing which one could get the glimpses of the Lord . This was just one of the lot of picture displayed in Sudarsan’s Art gallery “Chaka Akhi” in the Govt.Art School premises at Jeypore .

Sudarsan Nag , a handicapped youth in his early twenties has crossed many hurdles carrying his polio affected leg for the last 22 years . He could hardly walk and the wheel chair was his companion all along . He recalled those moments when an elderly lady , whom he called Punam aunty as their neighbours in Parabeda colony of the town . He was reading in std. VI then and she had asked him to draw some pictures with her . And that’s it . The journey with pencil , colours and paper had begun for Sudarshan .

His father was a poor mason and certainly could hardly support him to grow in making a hobby with fine art . But she was the force behind him and he continued to draw and paint pictures of his dream . Later he had joined in the Govt. Art School as a student to pursue his Diploma in Fine Art. He learnt all that he could to get appreciation from every corner . Punam aunty would have been happy to see the exhibition today , he recalled . But he does not know where she was .

Sudarsan is a student of +3 Final Year student in Vikram Dev college taking subjects which were far off from fine art . He wished if he could have had the degree in fine arts . But many Sudarshans had lived in the posters and died in banners , he said . The school of fine art at Jeypore managed by the Department of Culture , for the last 50 years has not crossed the boundary of offering a diploma to its students . Students had to go to Khalikote in Ganjam district to get a degree in the subject and students like him who had struggled with their financial poverty could hardly cross the ghat and most of them had ended up in writing banners and posters meeting the local needs, he said .

An exhibition no matter how small it might be gives a lot of energy to grow and thanks to Annapurna Real Estate of Jeypore who had sponsored the event , he said . Even though fine art could not bring sufficient financial strength to make a life of it , he has the next target , an exhibition in the state capital . Whenever people asked him if he had any hope to reach the stage where Sudarshan Patnaik , the sand artist of international fame had reached , he was thankful to his parents , he added .
(EOM)