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Gandhi’s portrait features at NGMA permanent sculptural exhibition
New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) As the nation launches year-long celebrations leading up to the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, a bust of the Father of the Nation oozing serenity features in a permanent sculptural exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) that has been mounted to provide equal limelight to the genre rather than just focus on painting.
“With his closed eyes, calmness prevails on his face which stands in communion with the significant representation of three monkeys in a garlanded manner encircling his neck,” NGMA director Ritu Sharma said of the bronze bust titled “Hey Ram”.
The exhibition, titled “Chehre”, opened on Tuesday and the bust, by the late S.G. Shrikhande, is NGMA’s artwork of the month.
“Chehre” meaning faces, features rarely-seen portrait pieces cast in metal, stone and wood by noted Indian sculptors.
Sharma said the works were part of the gallery’s permanent reserves and are only now seeing the light of the day.
“They were in storage for a long time. Since the medium of painting has been generally emphasised, we are now dedicating one floor of our gallery to just to the sculptures,” Sharma told IANS.
“The second phase of this exhibition, to come about in another two months, would focus on the non-portrait sculptures,” she added.
Put together by NGMA’s in-house curatorial team, the theatrically-placed portrait sculptures seem to be in conversation with each other.
One distinctly gets the impression that a bronze portrait by sculptor Ramkinkar Baij is in conversation with portraits by Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, Latika Katt, C. Dakshinamurthy, Himmat Shah, B. Srinivas Reddy and D.L.N. Reddy.
“The way this exhibition has been conceptualised is as if they are interacting with each other,” Sharma said.
The exhibition also showcases individualistic works of art by Biman Das, K.S Radhakrishnan, Amitava Bhowmick, Hemi Bawa, Soma Chakraborthy, Paritosh Sen, C.S.N Patnaik, Subodh Kerkar, Ashok Gaur, Bipin Bihari Goswami, Jadhan Chandra Sen, M.K Puri, Suzanne Benton, N.S Pradeep Kumar, Akbar Padamsee, Tarak Garai, Babita Chauhan, Shashi Arora, Paban Kumar Dhibar, M. Mack Greene, V. K. Rajan, Pushp Betala, P.R. Daroz, Ajit Khakravarti and Rajesh Kumar Sharma.
NGMA, established in 1954, houses modern and contemporary works by artists and sculptors from India’s major art movements.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.