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Brijesh Kumar

"Hello, my name is Brijesh Kumar and I was born in Uttra Pradesh in 1979. Our family moved to Delhi one year later. My father worked as a stone carver for more than 35 years. He learned this art while studying at J. J. College of Art in Mumbai. Afterwards, he moved to Gujarat for five years, where he continued to learn the art of stone carving. Later he moved to Delhi where he established his own workshop studio. My father has won a National Award for Excellence in Handicraft, and he twice won the State Award.

"I had a fun-filled childhood. During summer vacations, I use to learn the art from my father and it was quite a fun experience. A lot of hard work goes into making this type of sculptures. Growing up around my father's mesmerizing sculptures inspired me. I always wondered how such beautiful figures could emerge from a simple block of stone, and this fantasy made me join my father in his art. After my graduation, I completely dedicated my time in helping my father and together we have created fantastic sculptures. Over the years, we have exhibited in several renowned galleries around Delhi.

"The techniques used for sculpting are quite painstaking. We generally procure the raw materials from Rajathan, Bihar and Orissa. We than cut the stone into several blocks of different sizes and we draw the motif on the stone. We start chiseling using different types of tools. The process is 100% hand-crafted. When I finish a sculpture, I feel happy and proud to have created such a beautiful piece of art.

"My sculptures exhibit the rich tradition of Indian art, especially the one found in ancient temples. My father and I have made several sculptures over the years, but the one that remains special to us is a 7 foot Buddha we worked on together."