Chandigarh, Apr 20 (PTI) A retired teacher from Chandigarh’s Government College of Arts has put up an exhibition which showcases his over four-decade-long artistic journey, with more than hundred works on display.

Ishwar Dayal (69) has put up all his works, right from when he was a student in the college from 1979 to 1984 and later as a teacher there from 1990 to 2016 as well as the collections after he retired.

The exhibition of his works, which are currently on display in Mohali, has been titled “Unparalleled Journey”, a retrospective art show (1979 to 2025).

Dayal says that retired bureaucrat Malkit Singh has been generous enough to provide him space free of cost to enable him to display his works over years, which can also act as an inspiration for the young artists.

“The exhibition includes my work on different mediums like landscape, designs, photography and print making work and some paintings,” he says.

The artist experiments with form, technique and colour in some of his works. Dayal has also made good contributions to print-making graphics and mentored many students.

Dayal says he originally hails from the Karnawal village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. The village derives its name from Karna of the ‘Mahabharata’.

“I have been connected with art for a long time. I wanted to put up a display of my works so that it also inspires the young artists,” Dayal said.

Sharing details about his life journey, Dayal said that after graduating from the College of Arts here, he got an “artist-cum-draftsman-cum photographer’s” job in 1985 in Panjab University, Chandigarh, which was on contractual basis.

“In the meantime, in 1990, I got this job to teach at the Arts College from where I had graduated as a student,” he said.

“At the college, I taught photography, print making, drawing, painting…back in 1980s, we had to do all things manually like after clicking photos, we had to develop photo films, take out their prints which involved a lot of effort, but now technology has made things a lot easier,” he said.

Dayal says he was not very good at studies when he was young and often had to face the wrath of his father.

“My parents were teachers,” he said, adding that his inclination since childhood was towards art.

“My father Sarbachan Singh was a Gandhian. He used to draw sketches of freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose. He also used to draw paintings for many village children upon their request.

“My mother was quite good at crafts. So, this environment at home acted as a good inspiration for me and inclined me towards art since childhood,” he said.

At his exhibition in Mohali’s Industrial Area in Phase 9, many aspiring artists also visit daily where Dayal also has a workshop. PTI SUN MNK MNK