i worked full time as a lecturer in the government college for women in guntur and later in hyderabad i also enjoy doing landscapes again rural and have experimented with modernism i was somehow fascinated by the lifelike images best known for his depiction of rural life on canvas and his bronze sculpture named the butterfly patnaik has bagged several honours including the prestigious title of kala ratna from the ap government during my school days at narasannapeta i always topped the class and my drawing teacher samba siva encouraged me a lot lalit kala academy from 196979 and the nominated member of the academic council of nagarjuna university however i did a few statues on order from the government and some private bodies in guntur the teachers in the department rank amongst the best artists in the country today my first job was that of a karanam a village administrative officer i personally believe that there is sumptuous talent available in the city this has been made possible chiefly because of the fine arts department in au which has done a fabulous job of nurturing talent however by then my hobby had virtually become my passion and i was keen on taking up a formal training in sculpting and painting yes the landscape of the country near narasannapeta is also extremely beautiful and inspiring my works have been exhibited in all the major cities of the country and in poland japan australia hungary romania bulgaria and the usa in an interview with venkatesh bayya of toi the nonagenarian sheds light on his passion in life his work another factor that influenced me to draw and sculpt was my visit to a photostudio in srikakulam how many paintings and sculptures have you done so far and what keeps you going at this age