“I have been making Gandharan Art for 19 years. I dropped out of school when I was in the ninth grade and went to learn how to make sculptures in Taxila when I was 16.

One of the reasons for dropping out of school was that I was interested in sculpting and wanted to pursue that as a career, but the major reason was that our family was not doing so well financially. All of us siblings could not go beyond middle school.

My father worked as a tailor. We all live together in a rented house in Rawalpindi and we all contribute to the household expenses. My sister is married and so are my brothers. I am not yet married, again, because of financial constraints. I want to make sure I can provide for my own family when I have one someday.

I am now renting a shop in Lok Virsa for Rs6,000 a month. I make between Rs15,000 and Rs20,000 a month. I go to as many exhibitions across the country as I can.

But like all other artists here, sculptors also have no support from the government. Sculpting affects the eyes and the stomach from digesting the dust.

“We also develop back problems. The government should at least issue us health cards. There have been times when we have had to pool money when a sculptor dies just so we can send his body home to his family.”

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2018

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