GUNTUR: In Tenali of Guntur district, where the world has recognised the renowned poet and academician Tenali Ramakrishna, who can pinpoint any absurdity in a situation with a snappy wisecrack, Ravi Chandra Katuri has been taking forward his ancestors’ legacy of making unique sculptures with iron scrap.
Belonging to the seventh generation of sculptors, who made marvels with bronze for temples, this 34-year-old decided to do something different and hit upon the idea of creating sculptures from scrap. To fine-tune his skills, he completed his master's degree in fine arts at Calcutta University and has been endeavouring to grab the attention of the world with his pieces of art.
Going against the tide, Ravi Chandra wanders in unusual places, including Maya Bazar in Guntur, to gather his art materials from automobile scrap, metal wires, iron washers, nuts, bolts and whatnot.
Speaking about his inspiration, Ravi Chandra said, “I grew up watching my father Katuri Venkateswara Rao, who is a self-taught sculptor, meticulously sculpt as though magically breathing life into the statuettes and I never imagined myself doing anything else other than this.”
Depending on the size and complexity, it takes from two to six months to complete a sculpture. Once the sculpture is completed, it gets a coat of red oxide, topped with a silver coat and Rixine finish, he said. His life-size scrap metal sculptures include animals like a lion, horse, camel, elephant, cheetah, duck, and scorpion. His human figures include Mahatma Gandhi on charkha, a farmer with a pair of bulls, a robot, a sari-clad woman, and a man holding a cup.
Ravi Chandra’s sculptures can be seen in several parks across the State and for his wonderful efforts, he received the West Bengal Governors Award in 2010, Miracle World Record. He was also ranked among the top 40 sculptors selected across the country in 2013. His sculptures were displayed in the Karnataka Kala Parishad National Fair.
Not just in India, his works of art have captured the attention and hearts of people across the world, when his works were exhibited in various expos held at Singapore and Malaysia.
Recently, with the encouragement from his younger brother Harsha, Ravi Chandra has been contributing his skills and creativity to Surya Shilpashila creating life-size fibreglass sculptures of famous personalities, including Narendra Modi, Puneet Raj Kumar, NTR, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and various others with 3D technology which received great applaud.
“We are still working on big sculptures using various innovative methods and technologies to attain global fame,” Ravi added.