The sea waves bring no respite to the sharp sting of the afternoon sun. The vast expanse of Marina Beach lies naked below the sky, with just a handful of couples resting under the shade of closed stalls, and a few stray dogs wandering aimlessly on the sand. The bajji shops are shut, and the peanut-selling boys are probably just finishing their school. Amid the unsettling silence, the far end of the beach, behind the Lighthouse, buzzes with activity. There is a mountain of sand piled up, and a group of people — sporting caps, shades and dollops of sunscreen smudged on their faces — is working on it with scalpels.
They seem busier as I walk closer. One of them tries to etch out an oval face on the mound, and another helps get the outline sharper. Artist and sand sculptor Sivaraman guides them, even as he carefully fixes a smile on the finished faces. The end sculpture would include a number of such smiling faces — a representation of the joy of childhood.
The event, organised by CRY as part of Children’s Day celebrations, aims to make more people aware of the importance of child rights, says Michelle Baxter, manager, Volunteer Action, CRY. “We began the work at 10 a.m., and since then, have been bringing groups of children from different schools to help with the project,” she says.
It’s been a lot of work, which started with piling up the sand, and then adding water so as to make it suitable for sculpting, she adds. A couple of kids helps bring water in large mugs from the sea and pours it on the sculpted faces.
Michelle says that the challenge is to ensure that the sand, despite the sun, remains wet till they finish the sculpture, which will take another few hours.
Meanwhile, Sivaraman and Michelle take a break, and inside a small yellow tent raised by the work site, we talk about CRY’s involvement with over 20 lakh children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the span of the last three decades, and sand sculptor Sivaraman’s part in their latest project. “We have been thinking of innovative ways to spread the message of child rights. Last year, we organised a campaign inside a mall, with fun activities and games, and this year, we thought of doing something that will involve more of the public,” says Michelle.
The team then reached out to Sivaraman, who had, earlier this year, done a massive sand sculpture of former President APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary. Sivaraman, who teaches at Velammal Global School in Puzhal, took it as an opportunity to connect with the cause. “I have been involved with organising painting competitions for children, but doing a sand sculpture with them and for them is a first. Painting is my strength. I sculpt only for the passion of it. I am not an expert in it like Sudarsan Pattnaik...” he says modestly.
His first project was as a student at the Government College of Fine Arts, close to a decade ago. He had, along with a few of his college seniors, sculpted the face of the then President Pratibha Patil. “Later, I did sand sculptures of many political leaders on their death and birth anniversaries,” he says.
Sivaraman holds a Guinness World Records for Pieta Painting (2011). He explains, “For the first time in the world, someone had painted the Renaissance painting, a popular sculpture by Michelangelo, and written the whole of the New Testament and a few parts of the Old Testament on the canvas. You could see the words only by using a lens.” Later, Sivaraman did a series of portraits of hundreds of world leaders, and is currently working on a painting related to the Church of South India.
No more record attempts? “Publicity is a waste. At the maximum, with the popularity, you might start an institute or apply for a Government job. I am not looking for those anyway,” he says, before crawling out of the tent, and digging his scalpel back into the sand.
