Rs 50cr gift sculpted by Bapu's spirit

Some 70 years ago, when he was sketching a portrait of Gandhiji, Kanti Baldev Patel — now 90 — crossed a fine line that drew Gandhiji's ire. Patel was working on the sketch when Bapu was holding a meeting in the Wardha Ashram in Maharashtra. Patel muttered with irritation that the presence of many people was disturbing him.Bapu slapped a penalty of two annas on Patel for using the English word "disturb"! Patel's first gypsum sculpture was of Bapu.That art became his true calling and his passion for life.Even today, Patel is working on a bronze statue which features Bapu in the sitting position. But Patel's poignant aspiration is to leave more than his work for the cause of art and artists in Gujarat. He has pledged his life's earnings as a contribution to promote the state's culture. This is why Patel has donated his four acres of land, in the prime location of Ghatlodiya, to the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, for the development of a regional centre in Western India. The site now houses his studio.
"I have fought hard to keep this space and studio intact. I have donated land which currently fetches Rs 50 crore," Patel said. "I want to see a regional centre there which gives a boost to artists."
Patel, who was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004-2005, was born to a doctor father in Indonesia and was sent to Gujarat Vidyapith. He was involved in creating a pamphlet for the Quit India movement as his writing was beautiful and legible. He was arrested at the Bardoli court for picketing and spent six months in the Sabarmati Jail. Later he joined the JJ School of Arts where he learnt painting and sculpting. Sculpting became his raison d'être over time. Patel has carved nearly 800 sculptures, most of which are that of Bapu, Sardar Patel, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and the leader of Mahagujarat movement Indulal Yagnik.
Patel's statue of Bapu at the Income Tax Crossroads in Ahmedabad is considered legendary . Statues sculpted by him are also installed in South Africa, the US, and Kenya.
"I wish to sculpt till the last day of my life," Patel said. "God has been kind to me as I can work at this age. I owe my health to a disciplined life. I have never allowed my tongue to dictate my stomach."