A Spontaneous, Artistic Endeavor

For making the 1000 statues, Manjul will need around 2.5 million Nepalese rupees (approximately 39-40 thousand US dollars). But even now he is facing more than monetary problems. He has no place to store the 60 statues that have already been prepared till now. Manjul Baraili and Kausila Rai, who are residing temporarily at Urlabari (50 km away from Biratnagar) hope to submit their statues to the Government of Nepal upon completion. The Dalit couple is committed to sculpt 1000 half-sized statues of historical figures from around the world.

Originally hailing from Tadhi- Morang, Manjul has resided at Urlabari since 7 years, running the local Miteri Art Center. He was attracted towards idol-making after reading the biography of Aruniko, a historical artist of Nepal. In the past, he has prepared idols of the 24 persons who died in a helicopter crash at Taplejung on request of Federation of Nepalese Journalists.

He requested members of his local government to help him find a storage location. But till now, they have given him a deaf ear. He asked for a place to keep the statues in the Urlabari VDC, but the VDC too gave deaf ear.

It takes nearly three months to prepare a half-sized statue, even with the help of his wife and sister. Due to his reputation and experience, which included a 2-year long statue-making training in Patan, Manjul gets separate order of making idols of Hindu deities.

He is largely supported by an individual patron, Mark Brithav of the United States. Despite the limited financial support, Manjul needs a safe place to put his works. He is planning to ask the local Village Development Committee for a workshop.

Reported By:
Umesh Bishwakarma

(News source: Jagaran Media Center)