By Misha Kapoor
CHANDIGARH: The clack of hammer on wood is a welcome sound at Kalagram – which has been silent these past two years. Things started moving on Sunday, when a 15-day wood sculpture camp was inaugurated, the first since the pandemic broke out. For the past two years, artists have struggled to survive, forced to bottle up their talent inside cramped apartments.
One such artist is Jeetander Ojha from Baroda, Gujarat. Out in the open in the mellow February sun, he talked about the dark days he had seen and the hope that kept him going. “I am someone who sees beauty in the mundane. Hope has kept humans going. The pandemic wreaked havoc on artists’ lives. Besides the big financial loss, artists have also struggled psychologically and physically. But now, here in this beautiful city, I feel life is limping back to normal,” he said.
Sanulkuttan, an artist from Thrissur, Kerala nodded in agreement. His work revolves around the marginalised sections, especially among the farmers in Kerala. “Through my work, I carve the feelings of the common man braving circumstances with little more than grit,” he said.
Yashwinder Sharma, programme officer, NZCC, Kalagram looked on as the artists worked. “We have tried to help many of these artists financially and emotionally. Covid has been difficult for them in more ways than one. We did try to keep them engaged but the loss has been big,” he said – hope mingling with anxiety about the future.
