Artist Saroj Rout : A Blessing in disguise

This fertile land of Barpali has been bestowed with many renown  poets, writers, weavers, craftsmen and of course artists over the past one Century. In the recent years Saroj Rout of Barpali emerged as an artist of national repute. He is a self taught artist who in fact never went to attend any art colleges. By vocation he is a Government teacher, but art is his passion. Apart from fine art he is being recognized in the society as a stage artist, Oriya poet and an amateur photographer.

It was the year 1982 when Saroj Rout passed 10^th Standard with 1^st Division. In the Eighties of the last Century a boy securing 65% marks   was considered to be of par excellence. His mother Smt. Maliphula Rout was the sole mentor of this kid, who in fact herself was a teacher at Government Girls High School of Barpali. Whereas his father was a  farmer of Bandhpali village. All his father could do is just source the livelihood for the family.

On passing out successfully the 10^th exam Saroj Rout wanted to go Khalikote to join the famous Art College over there. But his mother had higher expectations from her kid. She wanted to groom her son either as an engineer or doctor. And against his will his mother forced him to join Intermediate(+2) Science at Panchayat College, Bargarh. His heart and mind was never in the books. Like the score of other students though he passed out 12^th exam, but could not qualify either in the entrance exams of engineering or medical. After 12^th he went to do B.Com at the most premier college of western Odisha i.e. Gangadhar Meher College at Sambapur. Afterward he did his Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) to become a teacher.

In the year 1990 he joined Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sambalpur as a mathematics teacher on adhoc basis. But the following year he got the Odisha State government job as a Sikhyakarmi (teacher) at Chiknipali U.G.M.E. School. Then he was a young man of 28 years old. He was passionate towards life, but his meager salary did not allow him to meet the needs. He charted out the means to make money on his own. He setup a commercial art shop by the name Elora Arts at Barpali Bus Stand to sustain in life. He along with his friends used to setup photo studio in Sital Sasthi Jatra. With the profit margin earned through this temporary makeshift studio once they even able to make a South India tour.

During 2009 his spinal cord disk skidded from its usual location. He was captive in a hospital bed for weeks. His life was in a chaos with uncertainties looming at large. But this prolonged illness proved to be a blessing in disguise. Curtailing the public life he had to spend time in solitude at home along with the loved one. His wife was of a great support to him morally during this traumatic phase of his life. She compromised with the given circumstances of the life by sacrificing every comfort a lady needs to run her home. While confined within the four walls at home Saroj Rout honed his skills in fine art which were lying dormant within him since his childhood. In the study room he searched for his paint brushes, papers and canvas. Painting  needs enduring hours of either seating or standing along with the easel. Challenging his physical impediment slowly and steadily he started sketching and paintings one after another.

[Divine Love - Acrylic on paper]

But the real boost in his art career came when he joined Facebook. He got connected with the big names in the contemporary art world like Bijay Biswal, Ramesh Jhawar, Stan Miler, La Fe and Liu Yi. He able to exchange the ideas with them. Inspired by these artists he shifted from oil paints to water colors. Working with the water colors is a real challenge for any artist, because there is no room for any error or omissions.

Saroj Rout is a keen observer of life and nature surrounding Barpali. Once a while he drives his car to the rural belt. While seating inside his car he takes snaps of the villagers unnoticed with his Nikon DSLR (Digital Single Lance Reflection) camera. On returning home, while observing these snaps he do the paintings of rural life of Odisha. But while doing the study painting on the locations he submerges himself with the Mother Nature.

    [Smile - Acrylic on canvas]     

            

[Paddy fields - Water color on paper]
                     
[Mahanadi - Water color on paper]

                                                                         (On sale)

[Pallha rua - Water color on paper]

[Forest Bunglow -
Water color on paper]

Saroj Rout along with his artist friends Dhruba Behera, Ramakanta Tripathy and Panchanan Barik founded Kalabhumi in the year 1999.  The objective of this organization is to impart art to the school students. At present Saroj Rout is heading this non-profit motive institution as the  President. One of his Facebook friend, who in fact himself is an artist from Turkey was inspired to send thrice lot many art materials as a gift for the students of this art school. They include sketch books, crayons, pastel colors, water colors and story books.

So far he participated in group art exhibitions at places like Amritsar, Hyderabad and Bangalore. But during the winter of  2014 he went solo at Barpali. This art symposium was inaugurated by Dr.Pravas Singh, the MP of Bargarh. This exhibition added another feather on the cap to Barpali as no such exposition was ever organized at this little town. He charted out the future course of action for his life well in advance. Leaving behind a well paid and secured government job he want to opt VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) in three years time from now to be a fulltime artist. He want to take Barpali to the World platform of art and culture.

When so ever he completes a painting, as if a kid he carries the art frame with enthusiasm to show it to his mother, when she would be busy with cooking in the kitchen. On looking at his paintings she overwhelms herself, but simultaneously repents that she did not sent her son to any colleges to hone his skills in fine art.

kiranbima@gmail.com

WhatsApp# +918249314972

E.Kiran Mohan(The Writer)

C\o. Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D),

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO – BARPALI – 768 029,

Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India.