Immersed in creative pursuits at 79

To be able to create something is a blessing and at 79, Mohinder Thukral is indeed a blessed soul. He has created numerous pieces of incredible art, including statues, oil paintings, sculptures and sketches. Thukral has made statues using wires and has even written on rice grains and horse’s hair.

Because of his incredible work, Thukral also got a chance to meet former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, President APJ Abdul Kalam and several other ministers. The city-based artist has made it big with years of hard work and perseverance.

In 1980s, Sobha Singh came to Thukral’s office to meet him and he made a sculpture of the celebrated painter. “I knew that Sobha Singh followed Rabindranath Tagore and was inspired by his style. So, when I got to know that he was coming to my office, I made a sculpture of Rabindranath Tagore within minutes,” he told The Tribune.

Thukral’s artistic journey began when he was 12. In the classroom, he drew a very unique and funny sketch of his teacher. While he was scolded by the teacher, Thukral had discovered his love for the art. Thukral’s parents got him admitted to medical stream as they wanted him to become a doctor, but he shifted to arts within a week. “Once I drew a sketch of my professor. He got so happy that he took me to principal to show him the talent I had. The principal asked me to make his sketch,” Thukral said. Soon, Thukral became talk of the town. “I became famous. Once there was an exhibition in the college and a minister had come. The principal introduced me to him and the minister praised me,” he added.

The college started giving him a scholarship every year. Though Thukral got many job offers, he did not continue at one place for long. He always found solace in his own workspace where he would spend hours immersed in the world of creativity. Thukral is also a wrestler. Even at this age, he goes to akharas to do exercises.

Thukral started making coloured sketches on rice grains in 1968. Not only this, he also wrote on horse’s hair. Thukral has kept all these creations safely in a beautiful box. He also has a dedicated gallery for his art works. He has created some interesting things in his home as well, which can rarely be found in other houses.

The fine artist has made maps of India and Punjab, along with the Indian Flag and portraits of freedom fighters, besides historical paintings. He loves to experiment at this age too. Thukral uses wires to create certain shapes. For example, he said, using the wires he had depicted the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He had made around 20 British soldiers who had opened fire on innocent people on April 13, 1919.

Thukral has made a special painting, ‘Vandd’, depicting the pain of Partition he carries within himself. “I was just a year old when we came from Sialkot to Jalandhar. I don’t have any memory, but the heart-wrenching stories of suffering of my grandfather, my father and other relatives are etched on my mind. My grandfather was attacked on his back. Whenever I would give him a massage, he would narrate what actually happened,” he said.

“The pain got deeply rooted that I wanted to give it a vent and depict it through my painting,” he added. Thukral made a self-portrait with his mind covered in things related to the Partition. The painting has won a wide acclaim. As he will soon be turning 80, Mohinder Thukral has been working on many projects — one of them is to create furniture out of waste bottles, which he believes would happen soon.

Jalandhar