An artist is never limited by means or resources; intact, an artist is a person who can go beyond boundaries to create magic. That’s how the sensational art and inspiration story of Chitta Dey has come to life. Chitta Dey is a popular name in the country and will soon be the face behind attracting art enthusiasts across the globe! Let’s delve into his journey that is inspiring millions of budding artists.

Who is Chitta Dey?

Chitta Dey is someone like you and me who believed in the power of expression through art. He expresses his feelings, “Since childhood, I had a proclivity towards drawing and art. I used to draw on whatever I could lay my hands on, paper, cardboard, anything.” “Neighbours would ask me to decorate Puja pandals and friends would request me to complete their drawing projects!”

What is Chitta Dey’s Story?

Chitta Dey completed his academics from Surendranath Collegiate School in the year 1947. It was a family of eight and it was difficult for his father to earn a standard living. Government Art College in Kolkata plays a major role in shaping the mind and artistic zeal of Chitta Dey. Even when he just had 12 rupees in his pocket, he dared to apply for the course with a monthly fee of 4 rupees. Since his family always looked up to a standard profession for Chitta, he chose to hide his art journey during the year 1979. During this period, he learned about the art of Sculpting!
Well, that’s when a spark lit inside this crazy sculptor.

Know more about the Indian artists and problems faced by them- https://indiachalk.com/blog/the-untold-story-of-indian-artists/

What brought Chitta Dey into the limelight?

After his course completion, Chitta continued to sell his paintings, greetings cards, and art elements to make a living. He even designed sets and expanded his expertise to television. However, this sculptor is regarded as crazy because of his passion for contemporary art. With this, in the year 1990, Chitta Dey initiated the idea of in situ which means in place, Rock Carving!

Pakhi Pahar

With a powerful insight in his mind, Chitta Dey moved to search for a place for sculpting. After three years of research and he found the ideal hill in the Ayodhya range, Purulia district. However, Government did not support him initially and worse than that humiliated him for his crazy idea. Even with this, his strong determination of creating something magical came to light in 1995.

With the support of the Government in hand, Chitta trained the locals. These locals were the first resistant however gave in to the idea, quickly. Moreover, he managed to receive training expenses from his close family and well-wishers. As he received the grant through his Flight to Harmony Foundation, he started the rock Carving process and named it Pakhi Pahar which essentially means bird hill in the Bengali language.

The face behind Glorious Art

• In the current times, Chitta has provided employment to locals creating awareness for art in India.
• With his enlarged vision for animal and birdlife, the process of hill sculpting is now a tourist destination for Indians and as well as international tourists.
• Chitta Dey has sculpted extinct birds and animals in Pakhi Pahar, Ayodhya thereby creating an impact on the environmental urgency for the preservation of fauna.
• Hill sculpting is indeed a strenuous process but Chitta never stopped and made it a spectacular tourist spot for the world to witness.
• His love and determination for the fusion of art have transformed the tourism industry in the state.
• Chitta Dey created history as he initiated an arts center, Aina, in 2015 to train youngsters in the domain of art.
• He also works with prisoners and teaches them the skill of painting. He has worked with more than 200 prisoners since the year 2007.

We feel motivated with his words, “Pursue your dreams with passion and dedication, and remember life is all about struggles.”

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