On Monday, as the city came together at R.K. Beach to raise a toast to the spirit of Vizagites in the aftermath of the cyclone Hudhud at the ‘Rejuvenating Vizag’ tourism festival, the spirited moments were creatively encapsulated in sand sculptures on the beach.
A group of 10 students of the Department of Fine Arts, Andhra University, transformed the silky sands of the beach into three thought-provoking sculptures depicting the city’s indomitable spirit when it faced one of its most destructive cyclones.
The theme of two sculptures was centred on rebuilding Vizag and the third one showed nature’s fury and devastation.
“We were very touched by the way people helped each other the next day of the cyclone and were ready to get into action for rebuilding the destroyed green zone of the city by sapling plantations. The sculptures were our way of saluting this spirit of the people of Vizag,” said Santosh Behara, a student of Fine Arts.
Interestingly, the one sculpture that depicted the theme of destruction had uprooted trees circled around the face of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, showing his active role in coming to the rescue of the cyclone battered city.
Curious visitors came pouring in to watch the sculptures etched deftly on the beach. Many expressed their satisfaction for the efforts taken by the State administration in restoring the people’s confidence with quick measures.
“We have proved that we can overcome any crisis and emerge stronger. It is great to see the spirit of the city creatively reflected in the sand sculptures. We will treasure these images,” said K. Divyapriya, a B.Tech student. Many captured the images of the sand sculptures and also took selfies in the mobile phones. Sand sculptures have been an effective medium to raise awareness about issues and developments. The medium has been effectively tapped by city artists to highlight issues and also pay tribute to the country’s leaders.
