By: Team Mangalorean, Mangalore
Photographs: R. K. Bhat

Mangalore Jan 17: A giant Kumbakarna sand sculpture is being etched out on the sea shore of Panambur beach in Mangalore.  The sculptor, Pramod Patnaik from Orissa is painstakingly preparing this sculpture to get an entry into the Limca Book of Records. 

Kumbakarna, the brother of Ravana in Hindu Mythology is taking a sandy but commanding shape under the expert hands of Patnaik.  Extending across an impressive length of 200 ft and rising up to a height of 30 ft, this Kumbakarna is 50 ft wide.  Four artists and twenty workers help Patnaik to get the sand together and shape and sculpt this legendary figure.

While human hands are doing as much as they can, there are also cranes which are used to carry the heavy loads of sand needed to put Kumbakarna together.  The work is progressing smoothly and is almost finished.  It has to be finished, as the completed sand sculpture will be handed over to the Karavali Utsav committee on January 18th to present it as part of the "Beach utsav" celebrations.

The making of the giant sand sculpture has brought many interested onlookers who look on in awe as the giant figure takes on a realistically human shape.  It's also the first time something like this is being done in Mangalore.

For Pramod Patnaik however, this is an ongoing family occupation and hobby.  His brother Sudarshan Patnaik is a renowned sand sculptor who has won several awards in India and abroad.

In fact on Christmas Eve 2006 Sudarshan chose to draw Santa in sand on the Puri beach in Orissa.  The Santa measured 100 feet by 30 feet and 15 feet high, and is the largest ever recorded image of Santa anywhere in the world.  It took 1000 tons of sand, 200 labourers, 40 hours and 15 associates to create the huge piece of sand art.  Earlier in the year during the Ganesh Chaturti festival Sudarshan had crafted 21 faces of Lord Ganesha on the Puri beach.

Pramod hopes to follow in his brother's footsteps and looking at the creativity that emerges from his deftly moving hands, it is not hard to believe, that for him, fame could be just around the corner.