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Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his ‘small’ art famous!

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Mangaluru: Prominent American essayist, lecturer, philosopher and a poet Ralph Waldo Emerson had once said, “Every artist was first an amateur”. To be successful, one need not always paint a large canvass all the time, even a minute art can bring you immense success and Akki Venkatesh is an outstanding example for how small can be big!

Also called ‘Rice Venkatesh’, this miniature artist from Chikkamagaluru never thought that rice grains could bring him name and fame in any way.

Completely in love with what he does, he started Tandula Art Foundation and today, after three decades of leaving people spell-bound through his precision, Akki Venkatesh feels that each and every emotion- may it be ecstasy or despair that he collected in his treasure trove while writing on rice grains has been worth it.

Speaking to newskarnataka.com, the artist said, “I used to write names of various companies, ministers, corporate setups, and foreign ambassadors and send it to them. I remember those days when wearing a shoe and going to school was a question of prestige. I engraved ‘BATA’ on a grain and sent it to the company and I was astonished to see that they had sent me a pair of shoes as a gift. All these experiences sparked the passion in me.”

PURSUIT OF HISTORY
Venkatesh, who initially thought his art was new and that it has no historical background, soon realised that it was an ancient art with a glorious past. His pursuit to trace the history of his art began when he was invited by a foreign ambassador to Delhi. The Ambassador questioned him about the historical background of the art and he had no convincing answer.

“This drove me to take up the task of tracing its history and I travelled to many Asian countries and found that the art was not new. From streetside to beaches, there were many in Asia who were doing rice art as a source of livelihood. I gathered the information and submitted it to the Foreign Ambassador, who inturn helped me submit the same to Asia Pacific Museum, Warsaw, Poland. He gave me an invitation to make it to Warsaw and render a speech on the art as well as a demo. That was my first international presentation. I can say that it was a turning point in my life. I became more serious about the art,” he said adding that the urge to keep the art alive had taken him to many school and school children.

“I’ve given 650 demonstrations in more than 35 countries, which includes more number of children”, he said adding that the micro-art is extremely beneficial to children for their overall mental development.

“By practising this art form one can develop memory power and keep the brain active. This is already evident in European countries. Psychologists even say that it helps in developing self-confidence. That is the reason why I do not let go any opportunity to become a part of mass events that help me get in touch with little kids,” he said.

Prominent personalities and global leaders recognizing and appreciating Rice Venkatesh’s micro art

 

UNFULFILLED GUINNESS DREAM
Explaining about why Guinness Books of World Records doesn’t recognize drawings on a rice grain, Akki Venkatesh said, “Drawing and writing on a rice grain are two different sections. People who know to draw will not be experts in writing and vice-versa. When it comes to Guinness, the reason why they don’t accept drawing on a rice grain is because, not much detailing is visible, as a result it fails to be qualified. Only highest number of words on a rice grain is counted and recognized. They will not take into consideration if one letter is smudged. There needs to be spacing between the letters and many such criteria.”

Speaking on his participation in Guinness Book of World Records, Akki Venkatesh said, “I’ve my name in Limca Book of Records, Singapore Book of Records and several others, but it is very difficult to make it to the Guinness. The main reason behind it is finance. Although you need to pay for every book of world record to register yourself, Guinness stands unmatched. If some record book registration is just Rs 2000 to 3000, Guinness costs lakhs of rupees.”

Giving a picture of how the registration process works he says, “If you wish to ask a simple question of whether you can break a already existing record, you need to pay five dollar, for which you’ll receive an answer after three months. Similarly, if you pay 650 dollars, you will receive an answer in just five days. If you wish to directly speak to one of the judge from the judging panel, you’ll need to pay around Rs 7 Lakh in Indian currency. If you pay, they themselves will contact and speak to you.”

“According to the current standards, India Book of Records is feasible, compared to others. In India Book of Records, we will get to see our names as well as a certificate”, he added.

“Record making has become a business. If you wish to make a fresh record, there is a separate charge for it, and for breaking one, which already exists another set of charges applies. If it a mass event like marathon, it will be around Rs 25 Lakhs”, said Akki Venkatesh adding that despite all odds, he will strive to accomplish his dream of making entry into Guinness book of world records.

Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!
Meet Akki Venkatesh, artist nurturing big dreams of making his 'small' art famous!

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