RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM : Sculpting thoughts coming out of their minds with grains of sand, these adolescent East Godavari siblings have created ripples in contemporary sand sculpting. Dominated with strong desire to achieve their goal, 15-year-old Devina Sohita and 10-year-old Devina Dhanyata have been showcasing their talent during important occasions.
Natives of Rangampeta, located between Rajamahendravaram and Kakinada highway in the district, the two sisters are following the footsteps of their father Devina Srinivas, who was a noted sand sculpture in the Telugu states.
Drawing inspiration from world-renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarshan Patnaik, Sohita and Dhanyata are planning to meet him at the International sand festival scheduled to be held in Puri in December this year.
Focusing on women empowerment, the siblings with the guidance of their father are making thought-provoking sand sculptures carving traits of modern women that includes courage and fearlessness, and bringing awareness on gender equality.
Sohita and Dhanyata are studying class 10 and 7 in a local government school in Rangampeta. Instead of choosing themes that entertains people, the siblings chose themes that attract attention of public and questions the society on the issues plaguing our nation. So far they sculpted on themes that includes saving girl child, crimes against women, woes of farmers and so on. Srinivas also became famous with his style of sculpting and got laurels from public for his recent work on creating awareness on World No Tobacco Day. Learning painting skills from Karanam Nukaraju, a renowned artist of Peddapuram, Srinivas found passion in sand art.
“It has become a gigantic task to procure sand as Kakinada coast is 40 km away from Rangampeta. We bought truck load of sand and training my daughters regularly. I have came to this stage with the support and encouragement from Andhra Pradesh Tourism department. It is high time to open a sand art school in Andhra Pradesh creating an opportunity for creative souls in Telugu states,” said Srinivas, who is now decorating wedding and other events to make ends meet.