Sudarshan Sahoo

Sudarshan Sahoo, the master sculptor was born in the divine city of Puri in 1939.^[1] Being a part of a city that has a rich cultural heritage, he was naturally inclined towards the art of sculpture. At the age of 13, he got an opportunity to get trained under stalwarts like Late Guru Bhubaneswar Mohapatra and Late Guru Kunia Moharana of Puri. His innovative and extravagant style of creating sculptures took him altogether at a different level in the aesthetic World of Art and Crafts.

When Shree Sahoo developed Sudarshan Crafts Museum, Puri in 1977, he almost became a father figure in the development of traditional sculptures. It provides a platform to the upcoming artists to display their raw talent in front of art lovers all over the World. The Museum is a symbolic meeting point for people interested in the art of sculptures.The Gurukul system of learning relived the tradition again when Sudarshan Sahoo established Sudarshan Art & Crafts Village, Bhubaneswar in 1991 with the help of the Government of Odisha. The institution is a Training and Creative Centre for traditional sculptures made of stone, wood and fiberglass sculptures. Sudarshan Sahoo’s exemplary dedication and determination has created a style of his own which boasts of applying numerous techniques in temple carvings. Sudarshan Sahoo has recreated magic with his visionary qualities for the art of sculpture, which is a gift to the world of art and mankind too. Sahoo's greatest strength has been the active support and help of his wife Arnapurna. Both his sons Rabi and Surya are now actively involved in his work.

Creations

His first carved Jataka Tales of Lord Buddha at Dhauli Peace Pagoda, Bhubaneswar in 1971 brought him World-wide recognition and appreciation. Thereafter, he was approached many a times to create Statues and Murals in Stone and Wood all over the World which led him to create for a Buddha Sangha in Takamori, Japan in 1976, decorate the Atami Peace Pagoda, Japan with stone statues of Lord Buddha in 1978, the Jataka Murals for the Buddhist Pagoda in Milton Keynes, England in 1980. His other creations were Murals of Buddha in Stone and fiberglass Statues for Darjeeling Peace Pagoda in 1992, Gold Plated Fibreglass Statues for Buddhist Peace Pagoda at Wardha in 1993 which was inaugurated by the Hon'ble President of India Sri Sankar Dayal Sharma in 1994, a Monumental Sandstone Gate of 36 ft X 36 ft at Barunei, Odisha, an assignment to carve Murals and Statue of Sant Rangavadhut for Gujarat. He has always been a preferred Artisan amongst the Art Lovers from all across the World like US-based tycoon Vijay Goradia, Indian Poet-Lyricist Gulzar, Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who in 2006 brought an 86-inch-high Krishna idol made of soft stone and many others. Shree Sahoo along with the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Govt. of India created a Peace Pagoda in the Indraprastha Park in the heart of the City of New Delhi in 2010 and other gold plated wooden and fiberglass statues for monasteries situated in cities like Kolkota, Mumbai, New Delhi, Vaishali and many other places.

One of the major works that Sudarshan Sahoo along with his team (which also includes his wife Smt. Anapurna Sahoo and sons Rabi Narayan & Surya Narayan) is a granite monolith of Jain Tirthankar weighing more than 100 tons which is a 16 feet one piece granite statue which is placed in Pushpagiri, Madhya Pradesh. This piece of creation took almost more than a Decade for completion before it was installed in the ashram at Pushpagiri.

Awards and recognition

He received the National Award for stone carving in 1981. His next big achievement came in the form of Padma Shri, awarded to him by the Hon'ble President of India in 1988. Sudarshan Sahoo added another feather in his cap after he received Shilp Guru Award 2003 from the Vice-President of India. His assignments for carving Jataka Tales brought him into a long lasting relationship with Japan Buddha Sangha and Buddhist philosophy.

Exhibitions

Art lovers have ever since been awaiting for the master pieces that are created and are to be exhibited by Padmashree Sudarshan Sahoo along with wife Smt. Anapurna Sahoo at the Exhibitions held in Jehangir Art Gallery (Mumbai), Ravindra Bharti (Hyderabad), Chitrakala Parishath (Bangalore), Bal Gandharva Kala Mandir (Pune) and many more places.

References

Notes

4. Tales carved in stone

• "Sculpture by Sudarshan Sahoo". Times Internet. Retrieved 17 May 2016. 
• "Sculptor promises timeless art". The Times of India. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2016. 
• Barik, Bibhuti (30 January 2012). "Largest Buddha stone panel in the making". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Retrieved 17 May 2016. 
• "A super sculptor show by Sudashan Sahoo". www.afternoondc.in. Retrieved 17 May 2016. 
• "Sudarshan Sahoo, Orissa". www.paramparikkarigar.com. Retrieved 17 May 2016.