People here don't understand the effort that goes behind an art piece’

GURGAON: A few years ago, plain glass statues and showpieces were used in home décor to accentuate the beauty of an elegantly done drawing room. Then came stained glass, which added a bit of adventure and lots of colour to the interiors. The ‘in’ thing in home décor, now, is blown glass art —colourful flower vases, small showpieces and even miniature lamps – made of colourful glass blown into various shapes.
Blown glass art has found its way inside many Gurgaon homes too, having been purchased by the dozens during a trip abroad or as gifts from a relative settled in the US. While we never fail to admire the small, colourful showpieces in an acquaintance’s cabinet, little do we know that Gurgaon is home to the only blown glass artist in India. “I have never really publisized my art, which I learnt years ago in the US. Hence people in India still believe blown glass art is restricted only to the West,” says Col (retd.) R C Chadha, India’s very own blown glass artist. A resident of Sector 17 in Gurgaon, Chadha, a former army man, says he has had a penchant for fine arts ever since he was a kid.
“Although I went to the Army and fought the 1971 war, I always found my solace in fine arts. It gave me immense satisfaction, and it was this passion that drove me to learn this art form, which I came across during a trip to California,” he says. Blown glass art involves a technique in which a hollow pyrex or borosilicate glass tube is heated at a temperature of 600-700 degrees Celsius, and blown and hand crafted into a desired shape. To add some colour to the art pieces, coloured glass rods are introduced inside the pyrex tube while it is being heated and shaped. So in this art form, colours are used inside the glass and not externally, lending it a classy look.
“Initially, when I tried to make these pieces, I was disappointed most of the times. Either the pieces broke while being shaped, or I did not get the desired shape. However, with every failure, I became more determined to master this art form. Now, I can make anything you ask me to make,” Chadha says with a smile. Blown glass art is an expensive technique, with the colours alone costing over Rs 5,000 a kilogram. “Earlier, I used to import the colours from the US, and it used to cost me a bomb. Then I did a lot of research online, and was successful in creating some primary colours with the use of chemicals. Now, since I have found a cheap alternative to the imported colours, I make more of these pieces,” he adds. However, despite having made an enviable collection of blown glass pieces and exhibiting them in India and abroad, Chadha is in no mood to sell them.
“People here don’t understand how much hard work and money goes into each piece. I have sold many of my art pieces abroad, but if I ever give these out in India, it has to be through auctions,” he says, adding, “That way, I would raise a good amount of money, which I wish to use for some social work.” The retired soldier with artistic fingers has trained a few people in this art form, and has a desire to train more youngsters, “provided they have that real passion for art”.