KOCHI: A US Military Willys jeep MB, in all its grandeur, rests at Praveen Bhaskaran’s home. Well, not the original, but a miniature version, all shrunk to a 1:16 scale. This handmade Willy’s can also trundle. The 1943 model military purpose vehicle measuring 15cm in width and 25 cm in length has been crafted confirming to all its originality using a mundane casing cap. Even ax and shovel are also affixed on the vehicle.
“One can’t buy Willy’s jeep. For me, this model is an emotion. So I made it,” says Praveen, a 32-year-old Thrissur-based artist. “Everything you would see in an original Willy’s Jeep has been replicated. Even the windshield can be removed, like how it has been planned for military purposes,” he adds. It took 6 months for its completion and is the prized possession in Praveen’s working miniature collection.
A working model of the solar ferry is another mini wonder he crafted. The remote-operated solar ferry is a miniature of the original solar ferry that his company created. “I was a part of the team and it was whilst working on it that I thought of creating a miniature version. And when the company learned about it, they bought it from me,” says Praveen, a marine designing senior draughtsman at S&O Maritime Services in Nedumbassery.
His love for sculpting miniatures began when he was just a kid. Young Praveen was always curious about the working of the machines so much so that he would tear down every other toy or machine to see how it worked. “As a kid, I used to hoard the electronic parts of machines to make my own toys,” he says. Praveen was all of 10 years when he created a working miniature of a JCB earthmover, as he was awestruck by its functionality. At 16 he made a robot dog. “It would walk, roll its eyes, perk its ears and wag its tail,” recalls the self-taught artist.
For Praveen, every futile material comes in handy whilst working on a miniature. Show me any machine and I can create it in miniature, he says. “That’s one thing I am confident about. And every time I see a machine, I would be thinking how it would mean creating it” he says.
Praveen opines that most people don’t understand the world of miniature sculpting. “People often equate my work with a toy and ask me why I make these and why I can’t sell them off. Creating miniatures is a passion for me. I don’t intend to sell them. I just want to hold exhibitions. One may not be able to afford all the high-end machines and jeeps, but I can always create one,” says Praveen.