Khordha (Odisha): An Odisha based Miniature artist has significantly walked an extra mile to win hearts of netizens through his art with the pieces of chalk.
Manoj Maharana, an engineering student of Balipatna village under Kunjuri Panchayat in Odisha's Khordha district has carved graphite and chalk into beautiful sculptures of Lord Jagannath, Lord Shiva, horses, elephants and many more.
Honing his skills by himself, the young artist says he never received any training and he’s been his own guide throughout.
Speaking about his creative works, Manoj said," I don’t have any professional tool. I use needles, nails, screwdrivers and blades for carving. Not using professional tools have their own challenges as the sculptures often break if the hit is too hard. Whenever I get a little leisure time from my busy life schedule, I keep himself busy in making these delicate artworks."
"After understanding the concept well, I have tried out modern and traditional art in my carvings. I honed my skills just by practising more. I wish to go to a bigger platform where I can display my work and learn more about it," Manoj said.
Manoj comes from a middle-class family. His father is a mason and his parents have taken a lot of pains to educate him. Manoj is also working in a private company in Bhubaneswar. From his childhood, he has inculcated a hobby for delicate works of art.
At first, Manoj wasn’t keen on showing his work. But when he was in his final year of engineering, he thought: “Why not make my passion into my profession?” And then he started posting his arts through his social media accounts.
With a distinction of sculpting a series of miniature art and sculptures, Manoj has been practising the art from his childhood. The Odisha based techie is now translating his ideas and giving meaningful form to articles through miniature art, which struck him while toying with a piece of chalk.
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