Mysore/Mysuru: Following her successful debut exhibition of a sand sculpture featuring late actor Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar, popularly known as Power Star, at the Dasara Exhibition premises last year, Mysuru-based renowned sand sculptor Gowri has embarked on another creative venture this year. She is crafting sand sculptures depicting the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the five guarantee schemes of the State Government.

The sand sculpture of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission’s Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan) is being created on the right side of Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar’s sculpture, which has remained untouched since last year. The five guarantee schemes (Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Shakti, Anna Bhagya, and Yuva Nidhi) of the Karnataka Government are taking shape on the left side of his sculpture. For the past 10 days, Gowri and her two fellow artists have been tirelessly working on these sand sculptures.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Gowri mentioned that she took up these sand sculptures at the request of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority, as there was available space on either side of Puneeth Rajkumar’s sculpture. She pointed out that the sand sculpture of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the five guarantees is being created at an estimated cost of about Rs. 2.2 lakh.

Additionally, she has undertaken the task of painting Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar’s sand sculpture this year, as it was left unpainted in the previous exhibition.

Gowri stated, “Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar’s sand sculpture has experienced some wear and tear due to natural elements, and I am now giving it finishing touches to enhance its natural appearance. I am also adding vibrant colours to the sculpture to make it more visually appealing.”

She added that the creation of the sculptures for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the five guarantees this year required 10 truckloads of sand.

Expressing her gratitude for the Karnataka Exhibition Authority’s support in her artistic endeavours, Gowri revealed her plans to teach children the art of sand sculpture during the Dasara exhibition. She further mentioned that she aims to complete the works within the next three days, well ahead of the festival.