The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pebbles are his fortune

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pebbles are his fortune

S. Harpal Singh

Vijay makes art pieces of Lord Ganesha using pebbles of different shapes and sizes

UNIQUE TALENT: Vijay Bankar displays a Ganesha art piece made of pebbles.

ADILABAD: It is not the art that Vijay Bankar practices that makes him stand out. It is his acumen to earn a livelihood by making forms of Lord Ganesha out of an utterly waste thing like pebbles that make him different.

Hailing from Ballarpur in Maharashtra, Vijay glues together pebbles of different shapes and sizes to give the form of Ganesha. This form is then mounted on a frame made of waste teak wood that is sold as a piece of art.

“In a dejected mood I once went to this hillock made of smooth pebbles in a jungle about six km from Ballarsha. While juggling with the pebbles around, I found some of them resembling parts of Lord Ganesha’s body. I gave it a try. The result enthused me to keep on practicing arrangement of pebbles for three years. Since the last one year, I have successfully marketed the product,” said Vijay, who is actually a woodcutter at a saw mill. He has since quit his job and makes a living out of this art.

The artist makes about three pieces in a day when working in leisure time. If engaged fully, he produces double the number of pieces every day.

Each piece sells for prices between Rs. 50 and Rs. 150 depending on the size.

Vijay who was at Adilabad’s Kala Ashram said he had so far sold pieces at Chandrapur and Amaravati. On a few occasions, he also marketed the pebble Ganesha’s at exhibitions.

Improvising

“I am not worried about the future because the pebble hillock can outlast me if I keep working at this speed. I am confident of selling my creation because I will keep improvising on the ‘looks’ of the pieces,” said Vijay.

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