Destined To Serve Odisha’s Art As Promoter & Administrator: Tarakant Parida

Even after completing high school, neither did he realise that he has got talent in art nor did he know that art is taught as a subject in colleges.

The innocent and ignorant rural lad from non-descript Gudupailo village in Jagatsinghpur district grew up to become a rare achiever in the field of art with the unique combination of an artist-art administrator-art promoter.

He is Tarakant Parida, founder-chairperson of the two-decade-old Odisha Modern Art Gallery, the only of its kind in the state, former Secretary of Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi, founder of Kalinga College of Art in Bhubaneswar and the initiator of a number of major art events and fora for his state.

Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Odisha Bytes:

Why did you decide to study art?

Can you believe that I did not know anything about art as a course in college studies even after completing my high school education! I was born into a poor family in a remote village. My mother passed away even before I could remember her and my father left our village to be a sanyasi when I was just 10. Thus, I had not dreamt of having higher education after my matriculation.

But I was lucky enough to have unexpected support of some kind-hearted people during my growing up years for whom I am here today. One such person from Cuttack city had come to visit an ashram in our village where he discovered my inherent talent in art. Since most of the villagers knew me as good at drawing, the ashram people had asked me to draw a life-size portrait of Lord Krishna. The visitor from Cuttack was so impressed by it that he called me and advised me to study art. After I told him about my family and financial situation, he took personal care to get me admitted into BK College of Art in Bhubaneswar with the help of prominent painter Siba Panigrahi, who later became my college teacher.

How did you arrange the finance for your five-year study in Bhubaneswar?

It was a terrible struggle for nine years to survive as a student of art in Bhubaneswar. When I had left our village for admission, my brother had given me just Rs 200 by selling the paddy that was harvested for our family’s annual requirement. After admission, I did not have the required money to pay for my accommodation. So, I had to stay in an abandoned house in a slum that did not have a door and later in a half-constructed bathroom of our college. My teacher, Panchanan Sur, had helped me with some money during my first year in the college. For the next four years until my graduation, I had to survive with little earnings as a private art tutor to some school students.

After I graduated, I could not go for post-graduation for another four years for lack of the required money. There were no colleges in Odisha then offering post-graduation courses in visual art. So, I had to wait for four years to save some money by working as a part-time art teacher in some schools in Bhubaneswar before getting into Master of Fine Arts programme at Indira Kala Sangeet University, Khairagarh in Madhya Pradesh.

Why did you choose to specialize in printmaking while most of your contemporaries opted for painting and other popular branches of art?

When I was in school, I used to ponder over a question for several years: How come that a picture in the text books of all my classmates were exactly similar! I got the answer when I got into the art college. Since then, printmaking used to excite me and hence I specialized in it during my post-graduation.

I must admit that print making fetched me much fame and fortune later during my career like a National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society Award from Delhi, Odisha State Youth Award and Odisha Lalit Kala Academy Award.

While my solo shows have been mounted at prestigious platforms like Jahengir Art Gallery, Mumbai; India Habitat Centre, New Delhi; State Gallery of Art, Hyderabad; ABC Art Gallery Varanasi and Rashtriya Lalita Kala Kendra, Odisha, my works have also found place in numerous private collections in Japan, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, UK, Italy and Sri Lanka.

After so much of struggle to be an artist followed by a series of success, how come you opted to be an art promoter as the co-founder of Odisha Modern Art Gallery? Did this decision affect your creativity?

Looking back at this 20-year-old decision of mine, I feel that I was destined to serve Odisha’s art as a promoter and administrator. And I don’t regret the decision though it has adversely affected my creativity and career as an artist.

It was an accidental meeting with an American lady, Karen Kent, that resulted in the establishment of Odisha Modern Art Gallery. I was just back in Bhubaneswar after my post-graduation when I put up my first ever solo exhibition with my printmaking works. Karen, who had just settled down in the city with her husband who was working with an international development agency, visited the show. A connoisseur of art, she also bought some of my works. Gradually, we became friends as she used to visit all art related events.

She once asked me, “Why your city has no art gallery like other cities have?” I told her about my wish to set up a permanent art gallery in Odisha when my financial situation permits. Fortunately, she came forward to finance the project and we started the Gallery together. She had to leave India after two years as her husband got transferred to South Africa. Since then, I have been managing it alone.

During its two decades of existence in Bhubaneswar, the gallery has hosted hundreds of art events apart from being a regular meeting ground for scores of people related to art and culture. This has served as a catalyst for a number of art initiatives including foundation of Kalinga College of Art. Thus, my personal loss has been Odisha’s gain and hence I am proud of my decision to start the gallery.

You have headed two major art institutions, the privately managed Odisha Modern Art Gallery and the government-run Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi. How has been your experience as an art administrator?

The government-run institutions are public institutions and therefore permanent in nature. These institutions also don’t face much resource crunch unlike privately promoted institutions. However, a government-run organization like the Akademi needs politicians and bureaucrats, who rule it in reality, to be art lovers in order to achieve the goals.