Rajendra Tiku | |
---|---|
Born | 1953 Wadwan,
Jammu and Kashmir, India |
Awards |
Padma Shri Lalit Kala Akademi National Award Jammu and Kashmir State Award 8th Triennale Award |
Rajendra Tiku, is an Indian sculptor and art teacher known for his outdoor stone sculptures. [1] He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2013, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of art. [2]
sculpture as a larger phenomenon, of which a medium, its execution and dimension etc. is only a part. The lot more beyond these attributes is its potential to reveal truth: Its potential to work on us in return and impart meaning to our existence. says Rajendra Tiku [1]
Rajendra Tiku was born in Wadwan, [3] a remote village in the mountainous landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India, in 1953, [4] in a Kashmiri Pandit family. [1] He did his primary schooling at a local school and passed his matriculation from a high school in Srinagar. His graduate studies were at the Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, [3] where he founded the Sri Pratap College Artists' Association [5] [6] and Tiku, simultaneously, studied clay modelling and stone carving, by attending the evening classes of a five-year course [4] [7] conducted by the Institute of Music and Fine Arts in the city, which he completed in 1978. [3] [6] The course offered Tiku exposure to the art of ancient cultures and modern masters. After completing BSc, Tiku graduated in law from the Srinagar University, [3] [5] [6] [7] but continued attending the various art camps organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. [1] [5]
Rajendra Tiku started his career as a teacher at the Burn Hall School, Srinagar, but moved, shortly afterwards, to the Institute of Music and Fine Arts, his alma mater, as an artist cum teacher. [3] [8] He lives in Jammu and Kashmir. [1] [6] [7]
Rajendra Tiku has received both the junior (1993–95) and senior (1997–98) [4] [6] [7] fellowships of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Government of India. He is also a recipient of a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York [3] [7] [9] for commissioning sculptures at various parts in India, [6] one of which can be found on the lawns of the Danwantri Library of the University of Jammu. [1] [10] Tiku has been invited to many sculpture workshops [11] [12] in places like USA, [13] Switzerland, Israel, Russia, Egypt, Russia and Thailand. [1] [3]
Rajendra Tiku has had solo and group exhibitions of his creations at various places around the world. [1] [4] [6] Some of his notable exhibitions are:
Tiku has also published many articles in local magazines and journals. [1] he has also been credited with using Śāradā script, a dying script of the Kashmiri language. [17]
In 2013, the Government of India honoured Rajendra Tikku with the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri. [2] Besides, Rajendra Tiku has been honoured by different organizations many times.
Some of the notable sculptures of Rajendra Tiku are: