Rourkela (Odisha):
Her talent as a pattachitra’ painter came to the fore during the pandemic, and Bhagyashree Sahu of Odisha’s Rourkela got a “prized moment” of her life on Sunday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned her name in his Mann ki Baat radio programme.
Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha.
Bhagyashree, an M.Tech student in metallurgy, uploads photographs of her paintings on Instagram and has received accolades from reputed magazines and websites on painting. She also enjoys a fan following.
“Look at Bhagyashree Sahu of Rourkela. She is an engineering student. She learnt about pattachitra painting a few months ago and achieved perfection in the art. Do you know where did she paint? She painted on soft stones she collected while going to college and gifted them to her friends.
“She started making similar pattachitra paintings on empty bottles during the pandemic,” the prime minister said in the Mann Ki Baat programme.
Bhagyashree said she was “thrilled” after knowing from Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan that the prime minister was enquiring about her.
“Today I was doubly thrilled when he mentioned my name as a young achiever despite odds,” she said adding it is one of the most prized moments of her life.
Modi also mentioned in the programme that Bhagyashree paid tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary by painting a picture of the freedom fighter on a piece of stone.
Daughter of police officer Kartik Chandra Sahu, the M.Tech student had to leave her institute after the coronavirus hit the country and she found it difficult to spend time at home.So, she started painting in Pattachitra style on canvases, leaves, stones, bottles and other surfaces.
“Now I am seriously considering following this as it has given me recognition. It is surely Lord Jagannath’s blessings and nothing else,” Bhagyashree said.
