SCULPTING A DREAM..
THE STORY OF A WOMAN SCULPTOR
From a small-town girl to a world record holding metal sculptor – Bharati Vidyapeeth Kala Vidyalaya’s alumna makes her alma mater proud.
The spark in the dust My encounter with art began at a young age. My Father owned a small Ganpati workshop, and I was his unofficial apprentice. Rubbing, wiping and painting Ganapati idols in the workshop, built an unfading connection with art; that I never knew would become my life’s work. Eventually, my father wanted me to pursue art as a career. I cleared SSC, and left my hometown to begin my formal education in Fine Arts.
The pivot and the return At the Fine Arts College in Narayngaon, I completed the Foundation course with flying colors. Soon after, I began a new chapter in life when I married Mr. Shekhar Shinde and, in the due course, become a mother. At that time, I assumed, with all the societal expectations from a young woman playing myriad roles, that my artistic journey had reached its final destination.
But destiny had other plans. Shekhar realized I had an unyielding yearning for art. After my child turned three, he took me to Bharati Vidyapeeth Kala Mahavidyalaya. It was there, amidst the diverse displays of sculptures, my curiosity was piqued, the sculptures spoke to me. I decided to pivot from painting to sculpture. I was the only girl student in the department, but I was exactly where I was mean to be. I felt I was home!
Bharati Vidyapeeth Kala Mahavidyalay showed me a unique method of learning; experiential learning, hands on practice, availability of good infrastructure and abundant motivation for self expression through art. My college gave my dreams, wings. During the four-year course, under the mentorship of Mr. Deshpande I began experimenting with plaster, terracotta, bronze and many more materials and techniques. In the second year, I secured first place in the college. In the third year, I created three sculptures and got the opportunity to exhibit them at the Annual Art Exhibition of the institute bagging the First prize.
Our Principal, Prof. Dr. Anupama Patil, encouraged me to send an entry for the Government of Maharashtra’s State Art Exhibition and I won third prize. This was my first public award. With renewed confidence, I entered the Final Year. Now my target was winning the top spot in the State Art Exhibition. Our principal & my teachers wanted me to send entries to national level exhibitions as well. As a result, I not only secured the First Prize in the Government Maharashtra State Art Exhibition for my sculptures, but also won First Prize in the South-Central Zone National Art Exhibition and bagged a national level nomination for my sculpture. This was overwhelming for a small-town girl. All their encouragement and my perseverance did not go in vain! I passed the Diploma Sculpture Examination with third rank in the State. Bharati Kala Mahavidyalay warmly feels like a home pitch when it comes to my sculptural explorations.
Forging a path in metal After graduation it was time to prove myself on the international stage. We managed a small studio and I started creating small and big works in the studio in different media. That’s how I participated in
an international exhibition in Abu Dhabi. This was the turning point of my life. I realized the immense demand for stone and metal sculptures in the
international market because of the durability and longevity. I chose metal and lost wax casting technique for my future works. We started Shilpasiddhi – a metal foundry. Sculpting is largely a male dominated stream. As a woman sculptor, I faced multiple difficulties and challenges, both physical and emotional. But we persisted. I started sculpting large scale statues. In 2022, I earned my first ‘World Record India’ award for creating a huge metal equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj. It was 10’x7’, 1500 kg – the largest of its kind by a woman sculptor – the claywork was completed in just 75 days by working 14 hours a day. In 2024, I was honored with the ‘World Record India’ award again for creating the most difficult, yet cohesive, 5.5’ tall copper sculpture of Shri Swami Samarth weighing 1,131 kg.
Today, ‘Shilpasiddhi’ has the capacity of casting 1200 kg of molten metal and making a 100-feet tall metal sculpture. It provides means of living for fifteen families. This is how I sculpted my dream. To the students of today: I urge you to look at Art not just as a hobby, but as a serious, rewarding career. Bharati Vidyapeeth Kala Mahavidyalaya gave me the tools and methods to explore, and I hope my story inspires you to break your own “invisible barriers.”
