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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.

'Reviving Kolkata necessary to bridge economic divide'

Mumbai: India's most pressing economic imbalance is not the widely debated north-south gap, but a stark east-west divide. According to Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, rectifying this massive disparity hinges almost entirely on the revival of one city: Kolkata. Speaking on the relative economic performance of Indian states, Sanyal emphasized that restoring Kolkata to its former glory as a premier industrial and financial hub is no longer just a regional aspiration, but an urgent national necessity. If India aims to sustain a robust growth trajectory and realize the vision of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047, Kolkata must step up to serve as the anchor engine for the entire eastern seaboard.


The history of India’s economic growth demonstrates that urban centers act as the true spine of regional development. In the early 1960s, West Bengal was among the top five economic contributors in the country. Alongside states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, it helped generate more than half of the national GDP. During this era, Kolkata stood as an industrial colossus, arguably more important commercially than Mumbai, Sanyal said giving growth statistics.


He furthermore pointed out that the region's entrepreneurial spirit dates back centuries. He noted that the original Swadeshi movement of 1905 was heavily rooted in modernization and enterprise. Yet, tragically, this rich culture of industry vanished within just fifty years.


Economic Decline

The economic decline of West Bengal has been one of the most visible and disappointing trajectories in India’s modern history. Sanyal candidly remarked that Kolkata did not merely die; it was "murdered." The state's share of the national economy plummeted from around eleven percent after Partition to a mere five and a half percent today.


This steady downward spiral, particularly exacerbated by a severe phase of de-industrialization starting in the 1980s, crippled the broader eastern region. Because Kolkata stopped functioning as a heavyweight economic driver, the entire east suffered. The collateral damage extended well beyond manufacturing, leading to a corresponding degradation of the city's celebrated cultural and educational institutions. This systemic decay ultimately triggered a massive and continuous flight of young, ambitious talent away from Bengal.


This stagnation stands in sharp contrast to the economic boom witnessed in the western and southern parts of the country following the 1991 liberalization. States like Maharashtra maintained steady dominance, while Gujarat transformed significantly over the last twenty-five years to boast a per capita income well above the national average.


Southern states, heavily anchored by booming urban centers in Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, also surged far ahead. Even historically poorer eastern states like Odisha managed to drastically improve their standing through consistent policy efforts, eventually overtaking West Bengal in relative per capita performance.


The glaring lesson across the nation is that major urban hubs are the vital engines that generate high growth, an asset eastern India has sorely lacked due to Kolkata's prolonged dormancy.


India’s Gateway

To bridge this crucial east-west divide, Sanyal argues that Kolkata must be rebuilt as India's gateway to Southeast Asia. The city needs to plug the eastern region deeply into global supply chains through enhanced infrastructure, industrial growth, and export-oriented development. Recent electoral shifts and changing political dynamics in West Bengal have sparked a renewed focus on the state's economic future.


With a changing environment that Sanyal describes as possessing a pro-growth philosophy for the first time in two generations, there is finally a tangible hope for revival. Rebuilding Kolkata's industrial and financial strength must be treated as a critical national project, essential for getting the eastern half of India firing on all cylinders once again.

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