Our Durgadas must have a third eye. Would it be possible to create such figures without a third eye? Or indeed, even to conceive them! I have never thought that Durga cannot see my works and as matter of fact, I don’t believe it for a minute. He no longer needs external illumination; nor will he ever need it in the future. He has lit his inner lamp, but with what fire? With the fire of his art, of course!

He remains joyful because they are his creations. But I would point out that the cognoscenti who see his works say, “We love it” and “They are most enjoyable”. Can there be anything of greater significance in an artist’s life? I have no idea whether the buyer is god or not. But that the enlightened discriminating viewer is God is something that Durga believes as strongly as I do. One wishes, from the very bottom of one’s heart, that this medium of self exploration leads him on to further insights.

Ramananda Bandyopadhyay

Durgadas Biography
He graduated from the University of Calcutta with a degree in Applied Bioscience, but a devastating vision problem prevented Durgadas from completing an M. Sc. in Pure Psychology. A particular attraction towards art was a constant feature throughout this period of academic studies, and when catastrophe shut vision down in an instant, filling the world with despondency, it was art which illuminated his life once again. Yet, though the occasional simple sketches, the choice of minor subjects and the intermittent flash of colour filled his life with joy, it was never sufficient to provide any form of completeness. It was determination not to remain inert in this circumstance and instead find oneself through one’s creativity that made him enrol at the Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys Academy in 1975. Following this, he joined Standard Pharmaceuticals, Srirampur, in 1976. But it was the irrepressible spirit of inquiry and artistic creativity, and the urging of Swami Umananda that brought him to Ramananda Bandyopadhyay. It was Ramananda who first raised the possibility of clay sculpting; it was by following this advice from his mentor that Durgadas was able to find artistic fulfilment through clay work. The lack of external vision no longer remains a hindrance. Durgadas finds greater assistance for his creativity through contact with feelings. It is this perception that allows him to internalise these forms. And comprehending these forms in such a manner, allows him to realise whether they have been manifested in the desired fashion.

He no longer feels distressed by the pain of anything lacking in his life. “Sunday mornings feel terribly empty, however, if I am not able to visit my teacher, Ramananda Bandyopadhyay. After all, he does much more than merely encourages me to create sculptures. He has been able to show me the truth that I do possess vision. This is what art has meant for me. And it is this that will paint my future with the colours of joy.