Gandhi Jayanti special: Dandi march carved in chalks

It is Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary today and there can’t be a more innovative tributes to the Father of the Nation on Gandhi Jayanti. Sachin Sanghe, an engineer from Bengaluru’s Mudugari area, has carved a stunning series of Mahatma Gandhi to recreate iconic events in India’s freedom struggle. All in chalk!

Talk of paying tributes to the Father of the Nation on Gandhi Jayanti, and this one will rank among the most innovative. Sachin Sanghe, an engineer from Bengaluru’s Mudugari area, has carved a stunning series of portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to recreate iconic events in India’s freedom struggle. The unique thing about these portraits? Sanghe has carved them all in chalk!

Sachin Sanghe carves sculptures in chalk. He has carved the iconic Dandi March for Gandhi Jayanti this year (Sachin Sanghe)

“I have always admired Gandhiji for the kind of life he lived. His beliefes and principles are the strengths of India and will be forever. I hope my love for him is seen in the carvings,” the 26-year-old told Hindustan Times from Bengaluru. His new collection includes scenes from the legendary Dandi March (March 1930), portraits of Mahatma Gandhi walking and working on his charkha.

A front view of the Dandi March carvings focuses on Mahatma Gandhi. (Sachin Sanghe)

Top view of the Dandi March carving in chalk. (Sachin Sanghe)

Mahatma Gandhi working on his charkha in this chalk carving. (Sachin Sanghe)

A self-confessed fan of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actor Amitabh Bachchan, Sanghe has carved more than 100 sculptures, all in chalk.

When Sachin Sanghe met master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and gifted him one of his carvings. (Sachin Sanghe)

Sachin’s chalk carving of Tendulkar. (Sachin Sanghe)

Sachin has also carved popular cartoon characters Tom and Jerry in chalk. (Sachin Sanghe)

“I was interested in sketching and painting right from my school days. I also developed a fascination for chalks while I was still in school, and loved it more than pen and paper. Soon I began carving on chalks. I use dividers, dissection needles, compass and safety pins for carving. In the beginning I used to carve names and gift it to my friends, but never took it seriously. It was only after I joined college that I started experimenting, and moved to pencils etc.”

Sachin has also carved sculptures of mythological figures.

A carving of Sai Baba. (Sachin Sanghe)

Sachin’s ‘hobby’ has now grown into an undying passion to carve the most intricate figures he could imagine. A normal ‘piece’ he says would normally take him 6-8 hours, but there are some that take a lot of time. “I carved Taj Mahal on chalk once, and it took more than 80 hours to complete,” Sachin said.

Here are some of Sachin’s creations.

Sachin often creates carvings for different occasions. This one, he carved to celebrate Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. (Sachin Sanghe)

A carving of Jesus. (Sachin Sanghe)

A carving of Mata Chamundi in white chalk. (Sachin Sanghe)

Sachin even carved a figurine of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his birthday. (Sachin Sanghe)

You can follow the artist on Facebook/SachinSangheChalkArt.

The author tweets @SwetaKaushal