Creating magic with sand

BHUBANESWAR: As master sand sculptors chiselled, brushed and blew grains of sand into place and amateurs worked on their own art pieces, tourists stood overwhelmed. The venue is the Chandrabhaga sea beach where the first International Sand Art  Festival that began on December 1 is underway. Six artists from the US, the Holland, Canada, South Africa, the UK and Portugal besides 24 from India are contesting for the title. Their theme is ‘Culture and Tourism’. A majority of the participants from the country are young sculptors from Puri, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Kendrapara districts. Their performance is being assessed on a daily basis by a jury comprising the invited artists from abroad besides Director of Tourism HS Upadhyay. “This is the first sand art competition I am participating in and the platform has been encouraging so far,” said Gauri MN, a mechanical engineer from Bengaluru and youngest participant. On Sunday, she created the temples of Hampi and on Monday, she plans to create the effect of Bhagavad Gita on humanity. Though not an easy medium, the artists seem to be creating magic effortlessly. “This is a delicate art form and the treatment and process are quite different to wood or stone. One absent-minded move can reduce a day’s hard work to a heap of sand,” said 69-year-old Kali Bradford from the US, eldest among the participants. “No doubt there is a lot of hard work involved in creating a work, but all the pain vanishes once the art is ready for exhibit. Most importantly we derive a deep sense of satisfaction, if people come forward to appreciate it. A little bit of encouragement is all that we seek,” said Nathu Garchar of Gujarat. The Indian artists are battling for the first three positions to win ` 1 lakh, ` 50,000 and `30,000 cash prizes respectively.