Tirupati: Babasaheb Ambedkar's 132-ft portrait with coffee powder!

Tirupati: The noted-miniature artist Palli Chiranjeevi, who earned a reputation for his innumerable contributions, has come up with another gigantic task.

This time he is trying to enter into the Guinness Book of World Records by drawing 132-ft Dr BR Ambedkar's portrait on a cotton cloth using coffee powder. It takes 20 days for the artist to complete the artwork.

Getting the much-required encouragement from none other than District Collector K Venkataramana Reddy, Chiranjeevi chose the sprawling Collectorate premises to complete his task. The efforts he has been putting in like a one-man army to fulfil his ambition was receiving huge applause from a number of people visiting the Collectorate every day.

Born and brought up in Tirumala, Chiranjeevi has been doing some petty businesses for his livelihood. He also writes the names of visiting pilgrims on rice grains for his livelihood. But he always dreams big and started displaying his art on miniature canvases like rice grains, chikoo and tamarind seeds which received huge appreciation.

Buoyed by the encouragement, he started painting sceneries and campaigns like save trees, save the girl child and other social themes on a wider canvas. Among various other things, he made a miniature model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a rice grain and won national recognition with various awards like the International Wonder Book of Records among other recognitions.

Subsequently, he started thinking big and created a six-feet picture of Lord Venkateswara with Nava Dhanyas which was earlier displayed by the TTD during Brahmotsavams in the past at fruit and flower show. He also made the portrait of Lord Venkateswara, Goddess Padmavathi and other gods using coffee powder. Presently, he is drawing 132-ft Dr BR Ambedkar's portrait with coffee powder and wishes to unveil it on April 14 which is the 132nd birth anniversary of Ambedkar. As it involves huge expenditure and he has been struggling to meet the requirement.

"Global Law college chairman Thippa Reddy has donated Rs 1 lakh and I have mortgaged my wife's gold ornaments to meet part of the expenditure. I am hoping to get some more donations," Chiranjeevi shared with Hans India.

Chiranjeevi wants to display the artwork in New Delhi on April 14 at AP Bhavan.

He said he can do it if someone comes forward to meet the expenditure that is involved in it. It takes around Rs 10 lakh to make the huge artwork.

He also wants to set up an art studio in Tirupati, if he gets help from the government.