Dandi March in the eye of needle

Warangal: Here is a micro artist from Warangal who came up with a gem of artistry – portraying Dandi March, also known as Salt Satyagraha, in wax-made idols and inserting them in the eye of a needle on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

As the entire nation pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on Tuesday (October 2), Mattewada Ajay Kumar of Girmajipet has his unique way of expressing his reverence to the Father of the Nation. Ajay who in the past had produced many such miniature art forms has done it again this time around by opting theme - Dandi March - that drew worldwide attention to the Indian Independence movement in 1930.  

The wax-made idols eight in all include Mahatma Gandhi striding away with a stick in hand while seven other freedom fighters following him. Invisible to the naked eye, it’s yet another absorbing handwork from Ajay who is a goldsmith by profession. The clothing of Gandhiji, his scarves, stick and specs reflect the adeptness of the micro artist.

It may be recalled that Ajay has come up with a micro-sculpture of a freedom fighter riding a horse with the India flag on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day. Prior to this, he had earned kudos by carving a miniature idol of Lord Vinayaka made of wax and inserting it in the eye of a needle. This apart, he had also sculpted a micro masterpiece of Jesus Christ.

Speaking to The Hans India, Ajay said: “In a tribute to all the freedom fighters, I chose to portray the Dandi March that is regarded as one of the top five movements in India’s freedom struggle. It’s hugely satisfying as my father Venkatachary was also a freedom fighter.” I thought its apt to unveil Dandi March pictorial to commemorate the year-long celebrations of 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi that kick-starts on October 2, he said.  

The height and width of Gandhiji is 1.09 mm and 0.27 mm. While the height of the others following him is between 0.76 mm and 0.58 mm, the width of the idols is 0.21 mm to 0.18 mm. “It took me 30 hours spread across 11 days to carve the wax idols and place them in the eye of the needle,” Ajay said.  

Willard Wigan of England and Yury Deulin of Russia are the two renowned among the micro craftsmen who mastered smallest handmade sculptures typically placing them in the eye of needles.