A stone engraver has given vent to his agony over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and hopes that the authorities concerned would install his piece of work at a public place to serve as a reminder to posterity of the “historical blunder,” which has created a rift among the Telugus.
Ambati Shiwa, a native of Guntur district, had completed SSC. He learnt the art of stone engraving at his uncle’s workshop there. He shifted to the city in December 2013 and set up Veeranjaneya Stone Arts at Gopalapatnam.
The Samaikhyandhra agitation and the mass struggles by the people to keep the State united and the “political blunder” due to which the State was divided left a deep impact on his psyche. He gave vent to his feelings on a granite stone – about 5 feet long and wide.
On the top left corner, he engraved the face of ‘Amarajeevi’ Potti Sriramulu, who had sacrificed his life for the cause of a separate State for Telugus, and the date of formation of Andhra Pradesh (November 1, 1956). On the right top corner, he engraved a picture of ‘Telugu Thalli’ and below it a map showing the latest division (June 2, 2014) with the districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh shown in different colours.
A note below the map reads: “The Telugu State, which was like a ‘joint family’, has been literally reduced to a commodity, put up for sale at a stall. The British policy of ‘divide and rule’ has been changed to ‘divide for gain’ by vested Telugu leaders. Irrespective of our differences, we are all Indians and we should ensure that no more divisions take place in future.”
Swachh BharatShiwa is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concept of Swachh Bharat. He carved the outline of Mr. Modi’s head on one side and the India map on the other.
“We should keep our surroundings clean to ensure a clean India and Mahatma Gandhi showed us the way long ago,” he says.
Shiwa prepares a sketch from the photograph and draws an outline on the stone. He engraves the outline and adds colours to highlight the required areas.
