District Judge and Sessions Judge Sunil Vedpathak during his painting exhibition in Balgandharva. (Express Photo by Pavan Khengre) He was 18 when he first saw a peacock dancing at a friend’s farm in his hometown of Kej taluka in Maharashtra’s Beed. For him, the spectacle was a work of art by nature itself. That day, he went home and sketched his first peacock.
Four decades down the lane, that teenager is now District Judge Sunil Vedpathak, 58, dispensing justice at the Pune district and sessions court. Much has changed over years except his habit of drawing a sketch of the lovely bird – the magnificent peacock – everyday.
About a hundred paintings that are on display at the exhibition show admirable variety in the style and form in the way the plumage takes shape – some look like line drawings, some following abstract styles, others made in origami styles, still others following the mandala logic , and so on. Express Photo by Pavan Khengre During this long period, he has drawn thousands of peacock sketches, each different from the other.
“For the last four decades, I have sketched a peacock almost everyday and each of those has turned out to be unique. Various forms, shapes, and styles that I come across during the course of the day, somehow subconsciously get absorbed in the mind and they appear on the paper when I draw. When I sit to draw, the style I will follow is not pre-determined. It takes shape as I put pen to paper,” judge Vedpathak told The Indian Express at Balgandharva Rangmandir where an exhibition of his peacock sketches is on. This is his fourth exhibition.
About a hundred paintings that are on display at the exhibition show admirable variety in the style and form in the way the plumage takes shape – some look like line drawings, some following abstract styles, others made in origami styles, still others following the mandala logic and so on.
Notwithstanding the judge’s unabating obsession with the peacock, one can’t help but wonder: How does he find time for this?’, especially considering the overburdened judiciary that we have.
This is District Judge Sunil Vedpathak’s fourth exhibition. Express Photo by Pavan Khengre “That’s the most asked question. People – and especially fellow judges – want to know how I find the time for drawing. The fact of the matter is I don’t have to make any special time. The sketches happen whenever I find myself free. Most of these that you see were drawn in the half an hour window that I get during the afternoon,” he shared. “It works like a stressbuster for me. Also, 15 minutes are sufficient for me to sketch and paint a picture,” he added.
His spouse and children, who were at the exhibition on Friday when it was inaugurated by painter Murali Lahoti, have been supportive. Vedpathak’s wife Anita said, “It’s true that on many evenings after his return from the court, the drawing keeps him busy for a while. But I have never objected to this because I like paintings and the various forms that the peacock takes.”
Considering that Vedpathak’s obsession shows no signs of waning, one can be sure that the peacock will continue to dance on the judge’s paper, taking newer shapes with each passing day.