KOZHIKODE: Some 100 days back, a 27 year-old creative artist stepped on the shores of Kozhikode beach with a few pencils and chart papers. With less than Rs 500 in his wallet, and a whole lot of ideas in his mind, he started creating a masterplan for his dream project. The effort has eventually led to Midhun Viswa taking the first step towards realising his dream project of ‘zero budget parks’ across the state.
He has created one at Kozhikode, a first-of-its-kind in the state, in seven cents earlier left covered with shrubs, creepers, and scrap. A physical education teacher by profession, Midhun quit his job and also left his home for the purpose.
The Kozhikode resident created the elements in the park exclusively out of waste materials collected from a 600-metre stretch of the beach. It features a replica of the lighthouse, an anchor, and a huge toy created in memory of a girl named Swammy, who visited the park while Midhun was constructing it. He has used glass bottles, old tyres, car seats, and other such abandoned stuff. All the trees on the island-like space have been painted with beautiful art, with leftover materials sourced from houses and professional painters.
“I wanted to ensure that nothing used in the park would be purchased, in keeping with the ‘zero budget’ theme,” Midhun says. Once the space was identified, the next task was to get official permission.
“Fortunately, one of the health inspectors from the Kozhikode corporation was convinced with my idea of developing a zero budget park there. The district tourism promotion council also lent support. My mission was to complete the work in 109 days,” he says. As the days passed, building the park with little support became difficult. But soon, some good-hearted artists joined hands with him.
“After completing 109 days here, I will be handing the project over to the other artists who have assured me to take care of the park just like I have. I will be heading towards Palakkad to develop the second project of my mission,” he says. Now, the park developed almost single-handedly by Midhun, is a ‘cool’ space for visitors to the Kozhikode beach, and an open platform for artists to walk in and freely create their artwork.