In light of the Ganpati festival, a group of youngsters has created a major attraction at an abandoned pasture in a forest in North Goa by carving out Lord Ganesha on a bed of grass.
Youngsters from Nirancal village in Ponda taluka, led by artist Gitesh Gaonkar, created grass art on a pasture, measuring 22 meters by 15 meters, inside a forested area, some 400 meters away from the main road.
“This was our playground earlier. But after a dedicated ground was built by the government for villagers, this place was abandoned,” Gitesh said.
Except for a few villagers who use the land for grazing their goats, the plateau was completely neglected. But it was a great place to create grass art, he said.
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This is not the first time that the group has created grass art at the spot. Three years ago, they had tried their hand at a small carving of Ganesha, the artist recalled.
“When we received a good response for our efforts, we decided to go big this time around,” said Gautam Borkar, a diploma holder in electrical engineering.
A team of 15 youngsters created the art after working non-stop for five days.
The initial sketch was drawn on a computer and the art itself was constructed block by block to its final shape, Gitesh said.
The initial inspiration was taken from a similar art done in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, where a group had similarly created Lord Vitthal three years ago, he said.
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“Hundreds of people have come to admire the grass art since its conception,” the artist said.
(Inputs from PTI)
