Abdul Gani
Guwahati: The creator of ‘Virgin Forest’, ‘Swimmers’, ‘Women Eater’ and several others Sobha Brahma is no more. The magical painter and sculptor breathed his last at the age of 83 at the Hayat hospital in the city on Monday.
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| photo credit: odishatv.in |
Brahma left behind a son, two daughters and wife Bijoya Brahma besides a host of admirers and relatives.
Brahma who was born on October 19 in the year 1929 in Dumoka in Gosaigaon in Kokrajhar district went a long way to make a mark in the world of painting and sculpture. He also voiced against the social evils through his works.
From the day to day murders to rape to the Afghan wars his brush knew no limits to stand for a cause.
His ‘Virgin Forest’ and ‘Swimmers’ portrayed the childhood days which were spent in the midst of greenery. His observation to every human being was very close which could be seen in his works.
He felt that Women and Nature shares a common relation. “Like nature, women too continue their lives bearing the pain and agony in them,” he once said. ‘Release’, ‘Aftermath’, ‘Joan of the Arch’, ‘Women Eater’ etc are some of his well known paintings which reflect the life of women in our society. “We kill the things, we love,” he had said of his painting ‘Women Eater’.
His love for the people of his native land was immense and he always tried to serve in the best possible manner.
“He was more than just a painter or sculptor, he was a devotee of art and culture. He is an ideal for the generations to come. He loved the people of his community and always did his best to serve them,” noted painter and filmmaker Pulok Gogoi told Seven Sisters Post.
Besides, painting he also authored a number of books which includes ‘Shilpokolar Nabajanmo’ (Assamese), ‘Gwdan Uji’ (Bodo), ‘Bharatiya Chitrakola’ (Translation) and others. He also gave the taste of Ravindra Sangeet to the Bodo people by translating the songs of Ravindranath Tagore into Bodo.
“I have deep respect for him. May his soul rest in peace,” Gogoi added. He was the founder of the Art and Craft College in Guwahati which he established after his return from Shantiniketan in 1957.
He was well admired and respected by his contemporaries and juniors for his for-sightedness. During the 1960s, when no one tried to follow the western way of painting, he created several master pieces in oil painting. During his lifetime he had won numerous awards including Asom Shilpi Divas award, Kamal Kumari Barua award, Bishnu Rabha award, Ang Khong Trust Committee award, Promod Chandra Brahma literary award and several others.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi expressed his condolences at Brahma’s demise saying that the state has lost a figure who dedicated his life to help the society moving forward.
“His works have been able to create a healthy environment for art-culture and its research in the state besides founding the government Art and Craft College in the state,” said Tarun Gogoi.
“It’s a great loss to the state,” he added.
Various Bodo organization and Political leaders including BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary too condoled over the demise Sobha Brahma. Mohilary has declared a local holiday on Tuesday in the council area to mourn his demise.
He also urged the government to preserve Brahma’s works for the generations to come. “It’s a great loss to the society. His works should be preserved so that the generations to come can see and understand the value. The cultural department should come forward in this regard. If they fail to do so, BTC would do the needful itself,” said Mohilary.
The BTC Chief also said that the Bodoland and Assam as a whole have lost a great artist. Bodo Sahitya Sabha General Secretary, Kamala Kanta Muchahary, Jiron Basumatary, General Secretary of All Bodo Students Union too mourned the demise of Brahma who was associated with various art institutions and society.
While, Brahma’s last rites were performed at Bhootnath cremation ground on Tuesday in Guwahati.
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