JOIN USSculptor ‘idols’ time away during quarantine
Getting back home during the lockdown was a challenge for lakhs of migrants across the country and the subsequent 14-day quarantine in hostels and schools on their return home was a test of their patience.
When most people chose to remain idle gripped by the fear and uncertainty, 28-year-old Mallappa Badiger, a sculptor from Bagalkot, made the best of his time. Lodged at Lokapur village in Mudhol taluk of Bagalkot, Mallappa spent his time under quarantine improving his artistic skills and stunned many by sculpting an ornate idol of Lord Ganesha from hard rock.
Mallappa sculpted the idol through his 14-days quarantine at the Morarji Desai Residential School and another 14-day stint at his home in the village.
Mallappa was held up at Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra due to the lockdown three months ago. He had gone there to bring his wife and newborn back home from her parental home.
On arriving home at Lokapura, Mallappa, along with his wife and the newborn, were sent to institutional quarantine. After two days of ‘punishing’ stay, Mallappa could not sit idle and requested the government officials to provide him with a rock and arrange for the tools from his house.
When Bagalkot Zilla Panchayat CEO, Gangubai Mankar visited the school, Mallappa asked her for help. “I told her about my skills and asked her to help me continue my work. She asked me to sculpt an idol of Ganesha,” says Mallappa.
Panchayat Development Officer Subhash sourced the hard rock and got him the tools from his home.
“Everyday, I used to work from eight in the morning to ten at night, with intermittent breaks. It is impossible for anybody to sit idle, especially when one is young. While many chose to watch television and spend time, I focused on this work. I could complete nearly 50% of the idol work at the school, the rest I completed during the home quarantine time,” Mallappa told DH from his village.
Mallappa, who hails from a family of sculptors, was under home quarantine from May 17 to June 1. When he reported to the Gram Panchayat office with his family after completing their quarantine, the officials were surprised to be presented with the Ganesha idol. The one-feet-tall idol was the cynosure of the panchayat officials, owing to its sheer beauty and intricate carving. While Mallappa wanted to gift the idol to officials, they resolved to pay Mallappa Rs 10,000 to honour his hard work.
The officials said the idol will be installed at the Gram Panchayat office of the village.