By: Indrakumar
Imphal, Dec. 14:
Golemi Gudumpu is an artist who loves to sketch the culture of Manipur on his drawing board to expose the rich culture of Manipur to the people in the world.
In the small congested room of his resident at Keikhu in Imphal East district, Gudumpu has produced a number of sketches that has reached many people outside the state.
He says his drawings were bought by many, high officials of the state including governors and ministers. His drawings are of great demand and have no time to complete the drawings to supply because he is engaged as a regular employee of Doordarshan Imphal as an Artist.
He says he works in the evening till 11 pm whenever he gets time.
Golmei Gandumpu born on January 1, 1970 to a Kabui community started drawing at his early childhood and admitted to Manipur Art College while he was studying standard VI in 1981.
Later, he joined Imphal Art College and completed Diploma of Fine Art (painting) in 1993.
He got many awards at different levels of competition and the award that encouraged him is the consolation Prize he got in the World Children Art Exhibition held at Korea in 1981.
He was also selected to work for three months at Garhi Studio of Lalit kala Akademi, New Delhi in 2013.
Gandumpu had never looked back and carried his life with the strokes of brushes on the drawing board. The pictures he drew reached many and people come at his doorstep to ask for his pictures.
His works has been duly recognised at the national and international level. He recalls three of his paintings that were selected to be presented as gifts when the former Prime Minister of India and Sonia Gandhi last visited the state. Eleven of his paintings that ranged around Rs.25, 000 – 30,000 were also bought by the former governor of Manipur. Currently, two of his paintings have been selected for exhibition in London. Gandumpu was one of the two painters selected from all across the country for this exhibition.Recently Gudumpu was announced on November 1 as winner of the State Kala Akademi award for the year 2012 for his picture that depicts the culture of Kabui, Kabui dance.
He said love to strike with the colours in semi-abstract art to depict the culture of Manipur. His pictures of Manipuri Pung Cholom, Maibi Jagoi, Polo among others were of big demand from the people outside the state.
He is the father of a daughter looking forward to expose the tradition of Manipur through his art.
The following was what Gudumpu told to this Journalist.
Gudumpu – “In most of the time I sketch Kabui cultural dance in semi-abstract art. I also try hard to expose the Manipuri Maibi Jagoi, Pung Cholom and Polo that people would love to see in Picture.
“I started drawing since childhood. When my parents tell me to read books, I draw sketches on exercise books pretending to be reading. I was very fond of the art and I started formal learning in 1981.
“When I began to venture in the art I was very much fond of awards. But today I don’t take it very important. Certificates and Awards are important for my profile but I want more on exposing my style of painting.
“About five to ten years back while killings, blast were frequent artists drew pictures of the grievances of the people. I too drew it. People say the drawing has saddened them while the society is at chaos and urged to draw pictures that could give peace in the mind. Then I decided to produce pictures of dance and others that could bring peace in the mind.
“We are fed up of Bomb Blast, Killing, Kidnapping, crimes against women. Let’s start for a happy and peaceful Manipur that has no such violence.”
