Like other good things, intriguing art also seems to come in small packages in Jaipur. Miniature art, it appears, is quite popular in the city. For some, it is a way of getting into the record books, while for others, collecting miniatures is a hobby.
In the former category is 29-year-old Navratan Prajapati, who believes in the adage ‘small is beautiful’. It was this belief that made him design some unique artworks that brought this school dropout attention and fame.
Prajapati claims to have created the world’s smallest functional lantern, which runs on three drops of kerosene, and the world’s smallest sculpture of a motorbike, etched on a single gram seed. No wonder, then, that he has made it to the Limca Books of Records and Unique World Records.
“I am a school dropout. My miniature lantern gave me fame and that helped me outshine my classmates, who have made a mark in academics,” says Navratan, who has recently designed a miniature model of the Amber Fort. The fort, along with five other hill forts in Rajasthan, has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.
The desire to create a record is what got another artist, Om Prakash Galav, making miniatures. Galav has also made it to the Unique World Records last year for designing the smallest functional hookah. “I had been designing huge terracotta artwork. But it was never appreciated as much as the miniatures I create,” says Galav.
Why miniatures?
The city boasts of a number of artists and collectors of miniatures. “Miniatures have their own shelf value and that makes people go for more such items. We have many buyers who insist on buying miniature paintings,” says Subhash Sharma, a dealer in miniature paintings. Galav adds, “The transportation cost for large items is quite high and the damage factor also comes in. This made me get into miniatures.”
Collecting miniatures is a passion
It’s not just fame that makes people collect or create quirky miniature items. Take Jaipur’s Sudhir Mathur – he has a collection of over 2,500 miniature liquor bottles. He says, “I had inherited a huge part of my collection from my uncle. What began as adding to the collection, has gradually turned into a passion for me. Now, whenever I travel abroad, I am on a constant lookout for unique bottles to add to my collection.” Mathur claims that his collection is one of the most coveted collections, but he has no intention of applying to record books. “It’s too much of a hassle. Getting registered, getting the bottles sampled… all that would be cumbersome for me. I am content with the appreciation from my family and friends,” he says.
They sell like hot cakes
“The smallest lantern fetched me around a lakh,” says Prajapati. Galav adds that ordinary miniatures can fetch as much as `25,000. He says, “Miniatures are a rarity. The idea of owning something rare makes people loosen their purse strings.”
Artist Ramu Ramdev, another Jaipur-based creator of miniature paintings, seconds Galav and adds, “It’s the intricate workmanship that attracts the buyers – both national and international.” He adds that his miniature paintings fetch him anything between `3,000 and `12,000. “It all depends on the size, type and quality of the painting. Sometimes, we earn a lot from such paintings,” he adds.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/For-Jaipur-small-is-beautiful/articleshow/21004697.cms