Arun Yogiraj, the sculptor of the Ram Lalla idol at Ayodhya’s Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, has been refused a US visa, his family confirmed.
Yogiraj was set to attend the 12th AKKA World Kannada Conference (WKC 2024), scheduled for August 30th to September 1st, 2024, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia. Family expressed disappointment at the visa denial, saying that it comes despite his international recognition.
They mentioned that his wife, Vijeta, has previously travelled to the US. Their sole intention was to attend the event and return. Arun Yogiraj was eagerly for this trip, as it would have marked his first break since completing the Ayodhya project.
Arun Yogiraj faced an unexpected hurdle beacuse his visa was denied by America. Notably, AKKA World Kannada Conference is a bi-annual event held in the United States to bring together members of the community living in North America and other parts of the world under one roof.
The aim of the event is to celebrate past achievements and to preserve the language and the culture for future generations. To date, the cities of Houston (2000), Detroit (2002), Orlando (2004), Washington DC (2006), Chicago (2008), New Jersey (2010), Atlanta (2012), San Jose (2014), Atlantic City (2016) and Dallas (2018) have hosted the event, attracting several thousand people from across the US as well as a significant number from India and other countries.
Notably, Arun Yogiraj, hailing from Agrahara, Mysuru in Karnataka, is a famous sculptor. His grandfather, Basavanna Shilpi, was a prominent sculptor patronized by the King of Mysore. Arun initially pursued a career in business after earning a master’s degree in business administration and working for a private company. However, in 2008, he left his job to dedicate himself fully to sculpting.
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