Meet Dheeraj, a UoH alum, whose rock-cut sculptures across campus are brilliant to look at and mull over

There are a few winged creatures on the campus of University of Hyderabad (UoH) the creator of whom likes to go by the name Dheeraj Sculptor. He operates with a team who, most recently, worked on a 1,600 sq ft mural installed at the Amphitheatre near the Amenities Centre. This arresting piece of art displays the very essence of the university, complete with the famous mushroom rock, the admin and library buildings plus the quintessential deer and peacocks ever present on the campus. "Apart from site reading, a combination of my life and work experience and art aesthetics have helped me create these sculptures," says Dheeraj. Over the past three years, the alumnus of UoH has worked on over 14-15 sculptors for his alma mater and has worked on projects for the RBVRR Telangana State Police Academy (TSPA) too.

The glorious angel

Hailing from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts degree in hand from Banaras Hindu University, Dheeraj applied only to UoH for his master's degree and thankfully, was selected as well. "I wanted to broaden my horizons in a new place and environment, and hence, I came to Hyderabad," says the 27-year-old. Work did not come easy, but Dheeraj left no stone unturned to get some hands-on experience. So in his initial days, Dheeraj would literally go door-to-door with his visiting card, asking for work. That's how he even got in touch with TSPA and started getting work with them. In fact, as recently as August 15, 2021, a 15-feet rock installation by Dheeraj was unveiled there. It depicts how minds are sharpened and shaped at the academy in preparation for the future.  

But back to UoH.

Dheeraj with his work

The first work that Dheeraj did for his university was a 15-feet PSLV rocket, in celebration of the ISRO-built rocket's launch, wielded out of iron. Then slowly, more and more work started coming his way. "There are several beautiful spots and I would often walk around, choose large stones and move them with the help of a JCB and start working on them," shares the youngster. He specifically credits Dr A Bindu Madav Reddy from the Department of Life Sciences and former Vice-Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile for helping all the projects with the university come through — even through the lockdowns when help was far and few between.

Team that works hard

How does he choose his muses? "There is no 'inspiration', no copying or reference materials, I draw from whatever I see around me," asserts the freelance sculptor who can work with stone, metal, scrap, iron, steel, wood and everything else in between. "The point is to bring about character in any work. Artworks should be larger than life, monumental even," he says. No wonder most of his artwork is either 12 or 16 feet in height or is hoisted at a height.

Let's learn

"I just have one thought. I don't want to lead a congested life. I don't have a PhD or a traditional job, I have decided to dedicate my whole life to art," says Dheeraj. Currently, he is hard at work creating his own studio, somewhere near UoH is the closest he will get to telling us the location. And he doesn't envision it as a stuffy or high-brow art gallery-like space, he hopes that any person can walk in and relate with his art. "My artwork will not be trapped behind glass, it will be free for anyone to enjoy," he says and signs off.