IT IS difficult to find Kishor Pawar in the premises of Government Chitrakala Mahavidyalya, but his mind-boggling sculptures, installed at several places in the campus, compel each visitor to get to know the maker.
Then a teacher calls his name -- once, twice -- and then almost shouts at Kishor Pawar to emerge out of the sculptures’ arena. A thin, dark boy, wearing trendy clothes with his head covered in typical rustic style comes out with a broad smile.
Kishor then takes us to his sculpture placed in the front yard of the campus.
Here is an old, almost-destroyed cassette-player with a recorded cassette of rusted iron plate coming out of it. The cassette is dying and the player has become useless. But still it is making music. “My life. My reel. And the music of my struggle” - Kishor writes at the bottom.
“This is how I see my life,” he starts with the same broad smile. Born in a family of a farmer with only one acre of non-irrigated land in remote Pimpalgaon village of Washim district, Kishor saw poverty at its cruelest in his growing years.
“It was a matter of survival for our six-member family in Pimpalgaon. So, I was shifted to my uncle’s house near Bori-Arab. I don’t remember, how and when, I started painting on stones, trees and then on slates,” he says.
But, Kishor vividly remembers how he officially entered the field on Fine Arts. “I went to Gurukunj Ashram, Mozri, for secondary education, where my teachers noticed my talent. They paid my fees and I appeared for Elementary and then Intermediate examinations,” Kishor recalls.
He was called back to help his father after clearing his XII class examination. Education stopped, but art continued. Kishor used to work as a daily wage labour, or a wall painter, or construction labour to earn for his sisters’ marriages and most importantly, to purchase material for sculpture making. A ‘Shiva’ and ‘Buddha’ sculpture by him is now the identity of his village.
“One day, I noticed an article in a newspaper about the admission process of Sir J J School of Arts. I thought to give it a try. I came to Nagpur, appeared for the entrance and got selected,” Kishor summarises everything in one sentence. In fact, the course which Kishor opted for (sculpture) has only five funded seats in J J School of Arts and students from all over India appear for this scholarship. Having just enough money for entry fee of one test, he opted for sculpture and passed with flying colours.
At JJ during the last four years, Kishor continued displaying his trademark style. He excelled in the degree course with his ‘earn and learn’ formula. He was opting for a fellowship to complete Post Graduation from
Chelsea School of Arts, London; but, the faculty and Dean of Government Chitrakala Mahavidyalya, Nagpur, suggested him to be a part of the maiden MFA batch of the college (The college has introduced this course from the year 2011-12).
Even in Nagpur, he works as painter or labourer or helper to earn money for his art.
But, Nagpur, being his home, is special for him. Here, he gets not only onlookers, but also appreciative eyes for his art; discerning ears for his poetry; and perceptive hearts to see the struggle behind the broad smile.
Meeting Kishor makes one sure that he is a biography in making.
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| Artist Kishor Pawar with one of his sculptures. |
Destiny planned suffering at every turn for him, but Kishor Pawar’s passion of creativity overpowered each and every agony.
IT IS difficult to find Kishor Pawar in the premises of Government Chitrakala Mahavidyalya, but his mind-boggling sculptures, installed at several places in the campus, compel each visitor to get to know the maker.
Then a teacher calls his name -- once, twice -- and then almost shouts at Kishor Pawar to emerge out of the sculptures’ arena. A thin, dark boy, wearing trendy clothes with his head covered in typical rustic style comes out with a broad smile.
Kishor then takes us to his sculpture placed in the front yard of the campus.
Here is an old, almost-destroyed cassette-player with a recorded cassette of rusted iron plate coming out of it. The cassette is dying and the player has become useless. But still it is making music. “My life. My reel. And the music of my struggle” - Kishor writes at the bottom.
“This is how I see my life,” he starts with the same broad smile. Born in a family of a farmer with only one acre of non-irrigated land in remote Pimpalgaon village of Washim district, Kishor saw poverty at its cruelest in his growing years.
“It was a matter of survival for our six-member family in Pimpalgaon. So, I was shifted to my uncle’s house near Bori-Arab. I don’t remember, how and when, I started painting on stones, trees and then on slates,” he says.
But, Kishor vividly remembers how he officially entered the field on Fine Arts. “I went to Gurukunj Ashram, Mozri, for secondary education, where my teachers noticed my talent. They paid my fees and I appeared for Elementary and then Intermediate examinations,” Kishor recalls.
He was called back to help his father after clearing his XII class examination. Education stopped, but art continued. Kishor used to work as a daily wage labour, or a wall painter, or construction labour to earn for his sisters’ marriages and most importantly, to purchase material for sculpture making. A ‘Shiva’ and ‘Buddha’ sculpture by him is now the identity of his village.
“One day, I noticed an article in a newspaper about the admission process of Sir J J School of Arts. I thought to give it a try. I came to Nagpur, appeared for the entrance and got selected,” Kishor summarises everything in one sentence. In fact, the course which Kishor opted for (sculpture) has only five funded seats in J J School of Arts and students from all over India appear for this scholarship. Having just enough money for entry fee of one test, he opted for sculpture and passed with flying colours.
At JJ during the last four years, Kishor continued displaying his trademark style. He excelled in the degree course with his ‘earn and learn’ formula. He was opting for a fellowship to complete Post Graduation from
Chelsea School of Arts, London; but, the faculty and Dean of Government Chitrakala Mahavidyalya, Nagpur, suggested him to be a part of the maiden MFA batch of the college (The college has introduced this course from the year 2011-12).
Even in Nagpur, he works as painter or labourer or helper to earn money for his art.
But, Nagpur, being his home, is special for him. Here, he gets not only onlookers, but also appreciative eyes for his art; discerning ears for his poetry; and perceptive hearts to see the struggle behind the broad smile.
Meeting Kishor makes one sure that he is a biography in making.
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