ORISSA’S BEST known sculptor, Bipra Charan Mohanty passed away exactly a year ago. To enliven his legacy, his family members, friends, disciples and fans came together to form Bipra Charan Mohanty Memorial Trust that observed the first death anniversary of the late legendary sculptor in a befitting manner at Jayadev Bhawan in the Capital on Sunday.
While Culture Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and internationally acclaimed Oriya painter Jatin Das joined the occasion and offered tribute to the maestro, the best offering of the event was the sculpture show that showcased rare works of Bipra Charan alongside the works of 13 budding sculptors of the State who were invited by the Trust to join a four-day camp at the city-based BK College of Art and Craft. All the participants representing the art colleges of the State were felicitated on the occasion.
One comes across scores of attractive statues of great men and women in the City that the maestro sculpted but the show offered a rare opportunity to see some of his most creative works sculpted in the 1970’s. It included Portrait (1970), Nightwatchman (1972), Hungry (1973), Grief (1974) and Reclining (1975). The master’s sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, Gopabandhu Das and Acharya Harihar also formed a part of the exhibition.
Apt to the occasion, the biography of Bipra Charan in Oriya was released by the Trust while three veteran artists of the State – Gokul Behari Patnaik (pattachitra), Purna Chandra Pradhan (sculpture) and Sarat Chandra Mohanty (sculptor and Bipracharan’s biographer) – were honoured for their achievements.
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