Andhra University Professor dies of cardiac arrest

Ravi Shankar Patnaik was one among the few prominent sculptors in the country

C. Ravi Shankar Patnaik, a faculty member of the Fine Arts Department of Andhra University, died of cardiac arrest on Thursday night. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Ravi Shankar Patnaik had served as Head of the Department in the past. Many of the statues in AU campus, were made by him. He was one among the few prominent sculptors in the country, whose works have been put up in different States.

Born in August 1961, Ravi Shankar Patnaik had done B.A(Fine Arts) with Sculpture from M.S. University, Baroda in 1982 and Masters from the same university in 1984 and an advance course in sculpture from the School of Fine Arts, National Technical University, Athens, Greece.

He was selected for the Greek Government Scholarship for 1984-85 but could not avail of it, because he was appointed as a Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts, Andhra University, in 1985.

He served as a Member of the Board of Studies of AU, Head of the Department of Fine Arts between 1993-96 and 2007-11. He was external examiner for BFA and MFA at BHU, Varanasi, for five years, at CKP Bengaluru, Jaipur University and Government Art College, Trivandrum.

He conducted several art camps and put up exhibitions. He had received the ‘prasamsa patram’ from the Chief Minister of A.P. in 1986 and received the Ugadi Puraskar at Madras in 1996.

Principal of AU Colleges of Arts and Commerce P. Rajendra Prasad condoled the death of Ravi Shankar Patnaik and expressed his sympathies to the bereaved family members. He described the death as a loss to the university and the world of fine arts.

Ravi Shankar Patnaik’s father CSN Patnaik is also a renowned artist.

AU Vice Chancellor P.V.G.D. Prasad Reddy, Registrar V. Krishna Mohan and Rector K. Samatha condoled the death and expressed their sympathies to the bereaved family members.