Obscure painter turns famed sand artist

SRIKAKULAM: A casual pilgrimage to Puri in Odisha and just one look at a sand sculpture of a woman on the beach there seven years ago has transformed a commercial painter from Srikakulam district into a well-known sand artist of the state.And what has made him an accomplished sand sculptor in such a short time is his undying passion for the art and unshakeable bond with Vamsadhara river.The moment Tarani Prasad Misro took a glance at the sand sculpture of a woman on the Puri beach in 2004 during a pilgrimage by the family a burning passion for the art, which had been unknown in his agrarian district, took birth in him.And within just a year, in 2005, he tried his hand for the first time at the new art on the bank of Vamsadhara at LN Peta village using the painting skills he acquired since childhood. When the maiden attempt won the plaudits from discerning viewers and art lovers. The accolades only steeled Misro’s determination to become a professional artist though he had the burden of feeding three members of the family.Going down the memory lane, Misro says, “Barely a couple of days after completing Intermediate education in the science stream in 1997, I had to leave home and river Vamsadhara in search of employment and meet the medical expenses on my father who was diagnosed with mental disorder.Even after selling away our four-acre land we were not out of woods.’’ Misro, the youngest member of the impoverished family, migrated to Visakhapatnam where he started independent life as a painter at an automobile garage and later went to Srikalahasti in Chittoor to work as a welder. He decided in 2004 to return to his village. He chose painting as his vocation, the basic skills of which were taught by his drawing teacher at school. It was the same year in which he visited Puri and embarked on a vocation and career as sand artist. For the skills of the new work, or art, he had no guru. But he came to know about a Brazilbased sand sculptor, Andrin Vajsky, through media. Simultaneously, for a living, I continued writing banners for marriages and political campaigns. I strove hard to excel in sand sculpting and the Vamsadhara bank is my laboratory. Last year Misro signed his first contract worth Rs. 25,000 for three arts with Kingdom of Dreams, an amusement park in Delhi.