The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sand sculpture, a major attraction at beach festival

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Sunday, May 27, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sand sculpture, a major attraction at beach festival

Special Correspondent

Festival provides much-needed respite from heat

It took 12 hours for two lecturers and four students to create the sculpture

— Photo: A.V. Ragunathan

CROWD-PULLER: Sand sculpture on Silver Beach attracts a large number of visitors.

CUDDALORE: The sand sculpture designed on the Silver Beach in Cuddalore in connection with the "Neithal-2007" summer festival turned out to be a major attraction.

The sculpture has "holiday festivities on the seashore" as its theme, providing the much-needed respite for the people from the heat and the daily grind. The sculpture prominently displays the logo of the festival.

It took more than 12 hours for two lecturers — V. Maamalaivasan and M. Sekar — and four students of the Bharathiar Palkalai Koodam in Puducherry to complete the sculpture.

Mr. Maamalaivasan told The Hindu that the medium should be carefully chosen. Neither the beach sand nor the river sand alone should be used.

A combination of both would enhance the retention power. The heap of sand excavated from the confluence of the backwater and the sea was the ideal medium. The sand thus gathered should be watered to improve its holding power. In this case, 80 barrels of water had been used, he said. A rough sketch was prepared before carving out the figures. Gel mixed with water was being used as a bonding material. Normal gel is used as a bonding material with water in proportion of 1:4 litres, for the nose gel volume will be increased slightly.

Will stay for 15 days

If undisturbed, the sculpture would stay intact for 15 days. It should be protected from rain and vandalism. Mr. Maamalaivasan said the sculpture could be enjoyed from a distance, say 10 ft, for better results.

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