Two sisters from Shahada village in Balasore district—Amrapalli Pradhan and Ananya Pradhan. Masters in bringing lifeless materials to life, these sisters have crafted 108 different idols of Lord Jagannath using diverse materials like wood, coins, cinnamon, matchstick boxes, clay, coconut shells, bay leaves, electric bulbs, mobile covers, conch shells, and more. Elder sister Amrapalli presented a painting of Lord Jagannath to Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Odisha visit and she got widespread appreciation.
Amrapalli has completed her M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University and now preparing for competitive exams. Inspired by her elder sister, younger sibling Ananya is following her path. She has also completed B.Ed.. Ananya painted Hati Besha, Suna Besha, Padma Besha and Bada Singhar Besha of Lord Jagannath. However she had made Ganesh, Durga and Ram idols from clay, Mandala art, Sambalpuri art along with jhoti and Alpana . Both of them also preparing customers demanding photo frames for weddings, anniversaries and birthday like occasion.
Ananya has won awards in various state-level art competitions organized by various cultural institutions. Recently, both sisters participated in a jhoti competition and were felicitated by Balasore MLA Manas Kumar Dutta and Basta MLA Suvasini Jena. Amrapalli and Ananya speak on their art that without going to Art school and training from Art teacher, they have learned art, since childhood. Their artwork is dedicated to Lord Jagannath who is spiritual guide and symbol of devotion. With a vision to propagate Odisha’s rich art and culture, they aim to continue their creative journey.