Artist Prabhakar Wagh passes away

Manama : Eminent artist Dr Prabhakar Wagh, 67, who wielded his paint brush for peace in the Kingdom of Bahrain, passed away in his hometown Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka on Sunday.

He leaves behind fond memories in the minds of his colleagues and students here. Originally hailing from the Indian state of Maharashtra, he settled in Bengaluru after his retirement from the Indian School Bahrain (ISB). He is survived by  wife Charu Wagh  and  children Pranav  and Prasanna. 

“Our family is deeply saddened to inform that my father, Dr Prabhakar Wagh passed away on December 18 at around 10pm,” said Pranav. “As many of you know, he had been suffering from cancer for some time now. His passing was peaceful. He was a born artist, from the beginning till the end of his time he pursued his passion for art.’’

Dr  Wagh joined the ISB in 2000 as an Arts teacher and was the Art and Craft department head for three years till his retirement in 2008. Having a doctorate in sculpture, he had conducted several solo and group exhibitions in Bahrain and India. He came into the limelight when he collaborated with his colleague and musician Haji Paul in a 48-hour marathon show, Art for Peace, to send a powerful message to the world, in 2004. The event took place at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre to coincide with the Kingdom’s celebrations of the National Action Charter (NAC) anniversary. As Haji Paul played 24 musical instruments non-stop for 48 hours, Dr Wagh translated his orchestral music into the canvas. Dr Wagh synchronised his paintings on a 100 x 1ft canvas to produce 50 different portraits that reflected myriad musical moods.  

“It was a historic event held in front of more than 5,000 people who attended the programme. Dr Prabhakar Wagh gave me huge moral support in the marathon by converting my music into beautiful paintings,” said Paul.

“I remember Dr Wagh did around 50 paintings and all of them were sold and the money was donated to the Art of Living Foundation.” 

At the same venue leading Bahraini artist Abbas Al Mousawi broke a record to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by painting the largest single canvas of 169 square metres using the Bahrain flag colours - red and white - to present the theme of world peace. Al Mousawi completed it in a record time of one hour, sending a message of peace from Bahrain to the world. “The prestigious event celebrated art and the ideals of peace and universal brotherhood that Bahrain stands for,” said Paul. “Dr Wagh was a brilliant art teacher. Our country has lost one of the best artists, students have lost a best teacher, the family lost a pillar and I lost my best friend.”