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By:

Vinod Chavan

30 September 2025 at 3:04:23 pm

Retired lecturer creates intricate sculptures by hand

Latur: At the age of 71, retired chemistry lecturer Dr. Shobha Parshuram Arya continues to transform her passion for art into intricate sculptures and paintings, creating masterpieces without the help of machinery or specialised equipment. A former lecturer at the Government Women’s Polytechnic, Latur, Dr. Arya has devoted her post-retirement years to sculpture and painting. Working only with her hands, she carves stones into artistic creations that depict emotions, devotion and human...

Retired lecturer creates intricate sculptures by hand

Latur: At the age of 71, retired chemistry lecturer Dr. Shobha Parshuram Arya continues to transform her passion for art into intricate sculptures and paintings, creating masterpieces without the help of machinery or specialised equipment. A former lecturer at the Government Women’s Polytechnic, Latur, Dr. Arya has devoted her post-retirement years to sculpture and painting. Working only with her hands, she carves stones into artistic creations that depict emotions, devotion and human expressions. Her sculptures mainly feature themes such as Radha-Krishna and emotional, rather than portraits of renowned personalities or historical figures. The stones used for her sculptures are brought from Rajasthan, including Vietnam marble and other varieties of marble. The process demands immense physical effort, patience and precision. A two-foot sculpture takes nearly three months to complete, while larger works may require one-and-a-half to two years of continuous dedication, she informed. Despite the uniqueness of her artwork, Dr. Arya faces difficulties in finding a market for her sculptures. She says there is limited demand for such expensive artworks in the region. Organising exhibitions is also a challenge as the sculptures are heavy and require manpower for transportation and display. Living alone further restricts her ability to showcase her creations on a larger platform. Dr. Arya’s journey as an artist began during her school days. While studying at Godavaridevi Lahoti Kanya Vidyalaya, she created a Saraswati rangoli for an exhibition in Rajasthan and won first prize. Later, as a Class XI student at Shahu College, she made a rangoli depicting the famous Padmapani painting. However, she said that at that stage she did not know how to systematically nurture her artistic talent. Her interest in sculpture developed after observing her father’s paintings. Inspired by his creativity, she began making idols using POP (plaster of Paris). In 1990, she created an idol of Michelangelo, which further strengthened her passion for sculpture. Tribute to Father Dr. Arya uses her father’s name, Parshuram, as part of her identity as a tribute to the man who shaped her artistic vision. “My father was a renowned photographer and painter. Whatever I have achieved today is because of the artistic environment he created. I have only carried forward his legacy,” she said. She recalled her childhood days at Latur’s well-known Shobha Photo Studio, which was once among the city’s prominent photography studios. Several noted artists, including Vasantrao Baraskar, Gangadhar Baraskar and Ware Guruji, used to visit the studio, and she closely observed their paintings and creative work. “As a child, I repeatedly requested my father to teach me painting. He would simply say, ‘Keep watching. You will learn on your own.’ I did not understand those words then, but today I realise that observation is the first school of every artist,” she said. Dr. Arya said artistic inspiration develops gradually through life experiences and finds expression at the right moment. Recalling the creation of her acclaimed Radha-Krishna sculpture, she said the work took nearly 21 months to complete. “I wanted to portray not just two divine figures, but the spiritual intensity and emotional bond between Radha and Krishna. Their relationship represents pure devotion and eternal love,” she said. The sculpture depicts Radha moving towards Krishna as he plays the flute, with intricate details such as her lifted heel, flowing attire and wind-swept hair capturing movement and emotion. “I do not feel that I alone created this sculpture. Giving life-like emotions to stone is an extremely difficult task. I believe some divine force guided my hands throughout the process,” she said. Dr. Arya believes that art should ultimately contribute to society. She expressed her desire to use the earnings from the sale of her sculptures and paintings to support underprivileged students.

Lingua Pragmatica

Updated: Mar 20, 2025

As Southern leaders like M.K. Stalin rage against Hindi, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu offers a model of pragmatism over parochialism.

Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh

Amid the cacophony of opposition in southern states to Hindi, Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken a markedly pragmatic stance by remarking recently in the state Assembly that there was no harm in learning other languages. Hindi, Naidu noted, was useful for communication across India, particularly in political and commercial hubs like Delhi. His remarks, though avoiding explicit mention of the NEP, were widely seen as an endorsement of multilingualism and a rebuke to the linguistic chauvinism that has gripped parts of the South.


Few issues in India stir political passions quite like language. It is not merely a means of communication but a marker of identity, a relic of colonial resistance, and a source of political mobilization. In the southern states, where anti-Hindi sentiment has long been entrenched, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its three-language formula have reignited old tensions. No state embodies this defiance more than Tamil Nadu, where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by M.K. Stalin has framed the policy as an assault on its linguistic autonomy.


Naidu’s words, welcomed by his ally and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, mark a sharp contrast with the DMK’s position. Tamil Nadu’s hostility towards Hindi dates back to the 1930s, when C. Rajagopalachari’s attempt to introduce it in schools met with fierce resistance. The anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s cemented the DMK’s ideological stance, with its first Chief Minister, C.N. Annadurai, famously warning that Hindi imposition could push Tamil Nadu towards secession.


The question, however, is whether this rigid opposition serves Tamil Nadu’s interests. While Stalin, with an eye to the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, has been relentlessly portraying Hindi as a threat to his state’s regional identity, Naidu, a partner of the BJP-led Centre, is framing it as a tool for economic mobility. His argument is not that Hindi should replace Telugu or English but that it offers a competitive advantage.


The economic case for multilingualism is compelling. Indians who speak multiple languages tend to have better job prospects, higher earnings and greater geographic mobility. Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu-speaking diaspora is a case in point. Telugus make up a significant proportion of Indian-origin professionals in the United States, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia as Naidu pointed out, hinting that this success story was built not on linguistic rigidity but on adaptability.


In a country where inter-state migration is rising and where Hindi remains the most widely spoken language, refusing to learn it amounts to self-imposed isolation. Tamil Nadu’s approach, by contrast, risks limiting its youth. The DMK government has refused to implement the three-language policy, keeping schools strictly bilingual with Tamil and English. Its justification that Hindi is not necessary for global success could be true in a narrow sense but ignores the domestic context. If Tamil filmmakers can dub their movies into Hindi to expand their audience, why should Tamil students be denied access to the language that could open more doors for them within India?


The DMK has accused successive central governments, particularly under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of pushing Hindi at the expense of regional languages. Yet, rejecting Hindi outright is an overcorrection. The reality is that Hindi is an important language in India’s economic and political landscape. Naidu’s position, one of accommodation rather than confrontation, offers a middle ground that other Southern leaders would do well to consider.


Some states already recognize this. Karnataka, despite its own history of linguistic pride, has allowed Hindi to be taught as an optional language. Kerala, whose migrants work in Hindi-speaking regions and the Gulf, has been less hostile to Hindi education. Naidu’s model, balancing regional identity with practical necessity, offers a way forward. Languages should be embraced, not politicized. Southern leaders would do well to listen to him.

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