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Patna, Jan. 12: Preparations for Bihar Divas celebrations are on in full swing and artists are burning the midnight oil to showcase their masterpieces in the grand three-day show beginning March 22 at Gandhi Maidan.
Sanjeev Sinha, who won the National Award in 1991 at the age of 24, is one of the artists whose artwork will be on display at the venue. The Patna Art College alumnus, who also bagged the Bihar and UP state awards in 1987, is busy giving final touches to his artwork at the Eco Park.
Explaining his artwork, Sanjeev said: “I am constructing a 45m-tall rose-shaped art piece with pure steel brought from Calcutta. The artwork would also include replica of ruins of Nalanda university. The concept is to combine knowledge (represented by Nalanda ruins) with love (represented by rose). One side would show the dark structure, while the other would sport a shiny structure, signifying that knowledge can never be ruined.”
His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums not only in India but also in England, France, South Africa and many other countries.
Sanjeev convinced artists from 32 countries to come to the state in 2006 and work at the Buddhist site in Bodhgaya to propagate world peace and uplift the status of art in Bihar. He said: “Public art regained prominence in Bihar after a long interval. The artists were really afraid to come to Bihar but I convinced them that nothing will happen and it is as safe as any other place in India.”
On his foray into the world of art, Sanjeev said: “I completed my bachelor in fine arts from the College of Arts & Crafts under Patna University in 1985. Then, I moved to Lucknow to conduct research on contemporary art before shifting to Amsterdam. On coming back to Patna in 2006, I felt nothing had been done in the field of art. It was absolutely zero. Nobody was aware of the contemporary art world, not even the faculty of the art college. That really made me sad and I decided to invite artists from other countries to Bihar and ask them to come up with some masterpieces to motivate young artists in the state. By God’s grace, my work got good recognition and last year, the chief minister invited me to be a part of the Bihar Divas celebrations. This year too, I have been invited to be a part of the celebrations.”
Sanjeev still feels that the state needs to do a lot in the field of art. He said: “No good exhibitions are held. Art college students are not aware about contemporary art. There are hardly any books on contemporary art.”
When asked why he does not stay in the state and help the students with his talent, he said: “I shuttle between Delhi and Amsterdam. I can’t take up teaching. It’s not my cup of tea, but I can always help local artists in the outer world with my contacts and I have done that in the past as well.”