VIJAYAWADA: Every sculpture has a story to tell. So does the one at the Pingali Venkayya Gallery at the Bapu Museum in the city. Carved in 2017, it chronicles one of the most important events of Indian history: Pingali Venkayya presenting the initial design of the Tricolour to Mahatma Gandhi during a two-day meeting held at the museum hall on March 31 in 1921. But that’s not the only story.
While the country is preparing to pay respect to the architect of the Indian flag, Pingali Venkayya, on his 142nd birth anniversary on Wednesday, the sculptor who chipped a huge Rajasthani marble into the piece of historic significance, Durugadda Harsha Vardhan, is running from pillar to post to get his payment from the State government.
“On the invitation of the Department of Archaeology and Museums Department, I undertook the upgradation project of Pingali Venkayya Gallery at Bapu Museum in October, 2016. A team of eight artists and I finished the sculpture by March, 2017. We had put in a lot of effort into the research, but we haven’t gotten a single penny yet,” Vardhan, an award-winning sculptor, told TNIE. The Gallery is yet to be opened to the public as the renovation work is still going on.
The government, as per the tender agreement, owes Vardhan Rs 42.5 lakh. He incurred additional expenses of around Rs 4 lakh. Harsha, who is a recipient of the prestigious ‘Rio-Tinto Sculpture Award’ by Sea-Australia, arguably the only Indian to have won it, has written several letters to the heads of the Archaeology and Museums Department and the AP Tourism Development Corporation, but received no response.
Pingali Venkayya sculptor awaits payment
“I have met Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya twice, but in vain. (Not paying us) amounts to not only disregarding our efforts, but also discouraging our talent. I spent the Rs 25 lakh that I received along with the Rio-Tinto award on the Pingali Venkayya sculpture and also borrowed money from private lenders. The mounting interest has caused me financial and mental stress,” he lamented.
This ‘apathy’ from the State government has made the internationally acclaimed sculptor decide against working with the AP government.“I was approached by the Amaravati Development Corporation Ltd for the creation of a pavilion in the capital region. There were proposals from various other departments. I rejected all of them.I won’t take up any more projects unless dues are cleared,” Harsha clarified.
Government officials concerned, on their part, said the delay in the clearance of bills was due to fund crunch.
When Express contacted the commissioner of Archaeology and Museums, Dr G Vani Mohan, she said, “It is true that the payment has been delayed. The Archaeology Department does not have a budget of its own. The Tourism Department pays for our expenditure.”
The attempts of the Commissioner, who took charge in July, 2017, to push for the clearance of the bill on multiple occasions did not succeed. “However, about 15-20 days ago we forwarded it to APTDC. It will be sent to the Treasury from there,” she added.