Sunita Lamba, a sculptor inspired by the beauty of life

Sunita, a little girl, was hardly 7. One fine day she was taking steps towards a friend's house with a friend. At her friend's place she saw an oil Sohni Mahiwal painted by Sobha Singh. She was deeply fascinated by the beauty of the painting. It had got ingrained in her mind.

Who knew that her inner being is already aware of the observance and her love for art. Coming back home she pressed upon her father to get her a canvas, paint brushes and colours. She wanted to recreate the same painting. Happily, she did it without any reference.

Today Sunita Lamba (60), who lives in Meenakshi Garden is a well-known painter, sculptor, and graphic designer. She has always been drawn to art and creativity from the time she was three years old. She completed her applied arts studies from Polytechnic, Delhi.

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She has been in sculpture making for the last 32 years. The medium she uses for her sculptures is bronze and steel.

One can see her artwork in various art galleries and exhibitions in  India. Most of her images depict human relationships and their connectivity to nature. She also works on global issues such as drought, global warming and destroyed human relationships. For instance, a tortoise on a globe and a cat on it, a woman lost in conversation with a sparrow, a tree fitted with a skull head and roots of skulls. Three sisters enjoying themselves together, a couple loving each other and a girl lying with a book in her hands. Merged shapes with no fingers in hands are the signature element in Sunita Lamba’s sculptures. “The rhythm in my sculptures is inspired by my intense interest in music. I remember the early years of my life when I lay  under the infinite sky on my veranda and observed the sky, birds and nature for hours.”

She agrees with the fact that the combination of her surroundings pushed her more to be an artist and create art. “My father was a  bathroom fitting designer who used to create his own taps and fittings. We had a small factory from where he worked. “I used to spend hours watching my father work and create these things. Maybe  that is where I had my initial art training.”

Sunita, who won a gold medal and Olympic torch for her sculpture at the Beijing Olympics 2008, sometimes ponders on the thought of how she has been so aware and sharp-eyed about her fondness for creativity.

Says she, “My father and my school teacher have been the biggest encouragement to me. My teacher always encouraged me to choose art. My  father understood my real talent and showed me the right path to  follow.”

She expressed her gratitude for being lucky enough to be recruited by the big corporate house for 28 years. Computers were newly launched in  India at that time and she was given one. While using it she came across software ‘primer classics’ and started trying her hand at it.  Gradually she made a painting on it that was her first digital glass painting.

Says she, “Whenever I faced a downside in my life, art took me up and again brought me back on the track of life. Making sculptures gives me a way to express what is going on inside my head and heart. The  purpose of my life is to be creative and generate art till the end of  my life.”