Kalu Kumale presented ‘Honorary Membership’ of Lok Sahitya Parishad

By A Staff Reporter,Lalitpur, Apr. 2: Legendary sculptor Kalu Kumale, known as ‘Krodh Kala Shiromani,’ was awarded honorary membership by Lok Sahitya Parishad on Saturday.

 Dr. Rajan Lal Joshi, Head of the Central Department of Nepal Bhasa, along with Parishad’s President Rajit Bahadur Shrestha and Vice President Laxmi Shobha Shakya, conferred the honorary membership on artist Kumale amid a programme held at Krodh Shiroman Foundation in Lalitpur.

 Joshi, the head of the Central Department of Nepal Bhasa, and Shrestha, the chairman of the Council, expressed their intention to collaborate in preparing an epic poem based on the life of the revered artist Kalu Kumale, akin to the one written about the artist Araniko, for potential publication. 

Kumale’s son Rakesh Awale said that Kumale, a father of 13 children born in 1990 BS, couldn’t pursue education due to a lack of Rs.10. 

Initially driven by both passion and necessity, Kumale began crafting clay toys and expanded his repertoire to include creations made from Nepali paper, cotton, Makundo, wax statues, straw shoes, Sukul (mat) and presently wrathful metal idols, earning acclaim domestically and internationally.

 His artwork has found its place not only in temples and monasteries but also in shrines and museums.

 Recalling the biography of Kumale, Nawaraj Lama emphasised the need for national recognition of the individual behind the creation of the massive wrathful deities. 

He expressed his satisfaction with the recognition bestowed upon Kumale by the Lok Sahitya Parishad, founded by late centenarian Satya Mohan Joshi. 

Kumale first got married at the age of 12, but his first marriage was short-lived. 

His first wife passed away just two years after their marriage.  

From his second marriage to Laxmi Kumari, he had 13 children, but out of the thirteen children, five children passed away in childhood. 

Adding to his grief, his second wife passed away in 2074 BS. 

Engulfed in sorrow, he found solace in sculpting, dedicating his art to the memory of his late wife and children by creating wrathful sculptures.