GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 23rd Jan. The sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who is based in Mysuru, “had been living like a sage” for the previous six months. Arun Yogiraj refers to himself as “the luckiest person on earth” after his sculpture of Ram Lalla (Lord Ram as a kid) was formally selected by the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust for installation in the Ayodhya temple. Arun Yogiraj is one of the heroes, who laid the foundation of “Ram Rajya.”
“I am the luckiest person on earth. The blessings of my ancestors, family members and Lord Ram Lalla have always been with me. Sometimes, I feel like I am in a dream world. This is the biggest day for me,” he says.
The past six months mirrored Vanavasa
For my son, these six months were similar to ‘vanavasa’. Saraswathamma says that “he devoted every minute to sculpting Lord Ram’s idol for the Ayodhya temple.”
“He didn’t even get to see his second child take his first steps,” his wife Vijetha said. He gave up a lot and gave his entire life to this task in Ayodya.”
Who is Arjun Yogiraj?
This well-known sculptor who is currently in the spotlight was raised by a line of sculptors and has produced a number of significant sculptures for culture. Born into a family of sculptors, Arun Yogiraj has five generations of sculpting experience. According to Yogiraj’s website, both his father and his grandpa Basavanna Shilpi were accomplished sculptors who held the King of Mysore’s patronage.
Going back to his origins, Arun originates from the Karnataka town of Agrahara, Mysuru. The 41-year-old comes from a five-generation family of sculptors. The King of Mysore had a close relationship with his renowned grandfather, Basavanna Shilpi.
Arun did not initially take to sculpture as a full-time career, despite the family tradition. Following his graduation with a master’s in business administration, he was employed by a private corporation. A short while later, in 2008, he left his employment to devote himself full-time to his passion of sculpture. Arun has two siblings and is wed to Vijetha.
Famously, Arun sculpted the thirty-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose, which is located in the canopy behind the India Gate’s Amar Jawan Jyoti. Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw the statue of Bose’s erection in recognition of his contributions. Arun has previously been praised by Prime Minister Modi and acknowledged by the BJP government for his efforts to rebuild the area following the devastating floods in 2013.
In honor of the independence fighter’s 125th birthday, Yogiraj gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a two-foot-tall monument of Subhas Chandra Bose in April 2022. He also made a 30-foot statue of Bose, which is now on display at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi, which is located behind the India Gate. “Glad to have met Arun Yogiraj today. Grateful to him for sharing this exceptional sculpture of Netaji Bose,” the prime minister said on Facebook in April 2022.
Among his greatest creations were Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s 15-foot monolithic white marble stone sculpture, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s 10-foot monolithic white marble stone sculpture, Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar’s 15-foot monolithic white marble stone sculpture with pedestal in Mysuru, and the University of Mysore’s 11-foot monolithic modern art stone sculpture with the concept “Creation of Creation”
One of Arun’s best creations is a 21-foot-tall monolithic stone statue of Hanuman located at KR Nagar, Mysore. Among his other notable creations are the twelve-foot Adi Shankaracharya monument in Kedarnath.
Furthermore, he sculpted the seven-foot-tall statue of Yoganarasimha Swamy at KR Nagar, the five-foot-tall idol of Garuda in Mysore, and the bronze statue of Sri U.R. Rao at ISRO, Bangalore. Additionally, Arun has sculpted multiple statues of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Sir M. Venkateswaraiah. His sculptures of Panchamukhi Ganapathi, Maha Vishnu, Buddha, Nandi, Swami Shivbala Yogi, Swami Shivakumara, and Banashankari can also be seen in a number of temples.
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