Children sculpt stone art pieces

BHUBANESWAR: Fifty schoolchildren on Sunday left no stone unturned to create works of art. They participated on the last day of a two-day heritage workshop, organized by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Bhubaneswar chapter, on sculpting. The children learnt the art from master craftsman Sudarshan Sahoo.
"It is very difficult to engrave figures on stone.It requires lots of practice and patience," said Tanya Mishra, a Class VIII student.
During the workshop, the children were taught basics of sculpting like holding instruments, designing, carving and polishing. They worked on soft stones to start with.
"It is a unique initiative by the Intach to preserve and protect our heritage. Because these children in future will help in restoring and recreating our historic monuments," said award-winning sculptor Sahoo.
He said Indian sculpture is a fascinating topic for children mainly because it involves lots of stories. "We told them some interesting facts about sculpture and history of India. If at least one children from them will take up sculpting as a career then it will help reviving our heritage," Sahoo added.
Convener of Intach, Bhubaneswar chapter, H Balakrishnan said, "This is a first of its kind workshop aimed at encouraging artistic skills and analytical thinking in children. With the advancement of technology this exposure will help them in heritage conservation."
Hearing-impaired students from Bipin Bihari School for the Deaf participated.