Some places are identified with a work of art there. For visitors to Ramakkalmedu, a fast growing tourism destination in the district, the huge concrete work of a tribal couple and a child with a rooster stand etched in memory. Another concrete work is now coming up nearby — a watch tower shaped like a hornbill flying above the forest. The shape of an elephant too is being sculpted out.
Energising wind
The work on the 40-foot tower was launched six months ago. It provides a panoramic view of villages and vast stretch of farmlands in Tamil Nadu. An artist working on it says that wind often plays spoilsport on the works. In fact, the main attraction of Ramakkalmedu, which lies 3,500 feet above the mean sea level on the Western Ghats, is the continuous wind which leaves one energised. A reason for international artists and film personalities choosing it as a hideaway. The rocks in the area, aesthetically shaped, look like nature’s art work.
Hence the decision to add to the ambience by a few man-made structures, mostly in cement. The Nirmithi Kendra has given the sub-contract of the work to artists. “The structure is nearing its final phase. The finishing works will be completed in the low wind season,” an official of the DTPC said. When the work is finished it too will turn a landmark to remember for visitors to Ramakkalmedu.
