For the 80-year-old sculptor Aekka Yadagiri Rao, a man who charted his own course swimming against the tide as among the first-generation artist-sculptor of South India in the late 1950s, the Padma Shri award was a validation for his passion for sculpture.
A retired professor from the College of Fine Arts, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Yadagiri Rao does feel that the recognition came a bit late in the day. “But no complaints. It happens in the field of art. I am so very happy.” In the same breath, he said he would dedicate the award to Telangana martyrs.
Yadagiri Rao deals with monumental sculptures in diverse mediums like granite stone, terracotta, metal sheet, wood and bronze. He had carved an important landmark, a huge granite ‘stupa’, in memory of Telangana martyrs at Gun Park in the city. The work was commissioned in 1972 and he completed it in 1974, he recalled.
Inspired by the works of Picasso and Henri Moore, he pioneered the era of modern Indian sculpture and his works adorned several reputed museums including Salar Jung Museum and galleries in India and abroad, in Indian Embassy, Moscow besides forming part of private collections in Finland, Poland, London, USA and Bahrain. Mr. Yadagiri is currently gearing up for a big show in February comprising art and sculpture. He has a desire to use his 60-year experience to help in beautifying Telangana if the government is inclined to use his services.
