Driven by enduring beauty of stones and a passion for sculpture, 32-year-old artist P. Dharma is spearheading an artistic and enterprising endeavour of carving out idols of deities from blackstone at his makeshift stone idol-making unit at Velugumatla village on the outskirts of the town.
Dharma, who originally hails from Parkal in Warangal district, moved to Khammam over four years ago in search of greener pastures. Since then, he has been running a temporary stone idol-making unit in the open place adjoining his rented house at Velugumatla.
He soon earned reputation as a gifted sculptor by virtue of his skills in carving out idols of gods and goddesses in vivid shapes and postures with an artistic appeal.
Supported by his three brothers, Dharma has turned his artistic endeavour into an enterprising activity.
Hailing from traditional stone crushers’ community, he acquired the skills to carve idols from blackstone under the supervision of master sculptors in Warangal out of passion for the art. In a span of few years, he has not only gained expertise in infusing life into stones making graceful idols of deities but also encouraged his three younger brothers to actively associate with the artistic endeavour.
“I consider the craft of sculpture as a medium of artistic expression and devotion to deities,” says Dharma, while immersed in carving out a medium-size idol of a village deity at his roadside idol-making unit.
“I owe my skills to my two Gurus from Tamil Nadu — Kumara Swamy and Krishna — who nurtured my interest in sculpting and trained me in the craft. My father Gangaiah is a source of inspiration for our family as he encouraged us to diversify from stone-crushing to carving,” he notes.
“We procure blackstone from Warangal district and also sometimes source a stone called Krishna Shila from neighbouring AP depending upon the nature of work. Most of the business comes from semi-urban and rural areas for making idols of village deities like Mutyalamma and Potharaju apart from gods and goddesses like Siva, Sitarama, Hanuman and Durga,” Dharma explained.
“We are facing tough time in view of increase in cost of stone,” says Sammaiah, brother of Dharma.
Government’s support is imperative to encourage sculptors by extending loans and marketing opportunities to sustain their artistic endeavour thereby help keep the Kakatiya era’s glorious sculptural tradition alive for posterity, he insists.
