Pratik Manjul Baraili carries forward family legacy in sculpture

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Aug. 16: Pratik Manjul Baraili, a resident of Urlabari–6, Morang, is presently immersed in the intricate art of sculpting.

Baraili, 24, has learned to handle both a pen and tools like a chisel and hammer. “I must have been around four years old when I started using a pen. Before I was even ten years old, I had already learned to use the chisel and hammer with my parents,” he recalled.

Both his father, Manjul, and mother, Kaushila, are sculptors. Whenever they visited someone’s home or went on a trip, he was always with them, listening to their conversations about carving stones into beautiful shapes, creating lifelike images, and making artwork appealing to people. 

Growing up in this artistic environment, Baraili naturally developed a hunger for sculpting. “Nowadays, carving sculpture feels like my family’s traditional profession,” he said.

Baraili’s parents have been active in the field for many years. Witnessing their struggles and dedication to art, he was inspired to follow the same path. 

“Because of my parents’ influence and my own love for art, I too aspired to become a sculptor like my parents,” he added.

Last year, he carved a statue of Lord Ganesh, which won the Koshi Provincial National Fine Arts Award. Since then, he has devoted even more time to the field.

 At present, he works nine hours a day at a sculpture center. Having created over a hundred statues so far, he said that bringing an image out of a block of stone and adding beauty to it is a complex task, but with hard work, this profession can also provide a good income.

His father, Manjul, has a dream to gift a thousand statues to the nation. 

To achieve this, all three family members are working tirelessly. While pursuing his passion, Baraili once got the opportunity to work in Japan. But after a short time, he decided to return to Nepal, leaving the job there, because he loved carving sculptures.

Seeing his father in Japan dedicated to creating a massive Buddha statue inspired him to follow the same path. His father is still working in Japan, while his mother, Kaushila, manages the Manjul Sculpture Center in Urlabari.

Following in Manjul’s footsteps, Kaushila has been walking alongside him, and now their only son, Pratik, is also moving forward in their rhythm, aiming to become a renowned sculptor.

Today, Pratik is establishing his identity in the sculpture field from within Nepal.

“Sculpting goes beyond a career for me; it is the soul of our family,” he added.