Carving happiness “micro” size!

Ever since he was a child, 25-year-old Krupa Bhaskar was fascinated with pencils and the wonders it could do when filled with colours and patterns. As he grew older he couldn’t see a bright future in it. So he decided to test his fate in mechanical engineering but God had something else in store for him.

“None of the engineering courses I attended as a part of the counseling sessions seemed to fulfil the creative thirst in me. But luckily during that time, the Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University were having its own spot admission and canceling in one of the government institutions near Aurora Engineering College, where I used to go to for my mechanical engineering course. I got through it and went on to enjoy the classes for Digital Techniques for Design and Planning course for 10 days without telling my parents. Once I was sure that this was where I belong, I broke the news to my mother and father. To my surprise, they were both supportive of my decision and still are. So here I am, chiseling smiles in the minutest ways possible.” gleams Bhaskar.

The Design Engineering pupil, who had spent nearly 5 years in mastering the craft, is the man behind Hyderabad based gifting company Oye Happy’s miniature pencil art section. Bhaskar reveals that even though he used to carve pencils in college to impress his friends and as a token of gratitude for his lectures, the first time he had put all his sincere efforts to sculpt a perfect piece was during his near one’s wedding when he didn’t have enough money to purchase the couple a splendid gift.

“I took three days and carved their names on a pencil and gave it to them on their big day. The happiness I saw on their face boosted me to pursue this art and to give it my best shot.” shares the micro-sculptor. He laughs that his first client was the owner of the framing shop to whom he had taken the pencil sculptures to be packed for gifting his beloved ones.

The lead on which Bhaskar carves the sculptures are no ordinary ones. These are specially imported from a Chinese graphite mining company and measure 5 millimeters in thickness. “It was getting increasingly difficult for me to purchase pencils with the measurements I wanted. In fact, I depleted the stocks of almost all the Himalaya Book Depots and had to wait for months to receive the new stock. But one day I interacted with an employee of a Chinese company which produces pencils of exactly the requirements I have, on social media. I showed him my work and readily offered to parcel me the pencils at a discounted rate. Now I purchase nearly 600 pencils and stock them for the next three to six months.I like to work on them as they are made of natural wood and have an amazing texture” says Bhaskar.

Charging up to nearly Rs 2000 for six characters, Bhaskar explains that it is worth it all as he is one among the very few pencil sculptors who carve words in cursive with handmade tools. Having shaped almost 4500 characters in the past two years, the micro-artist feels that the word “anniversary” as the most time-consuming task even till date.

Having said the beauty of the art, one cannot ignore the toll it has on the artist's health. Micro art needs a lot of patience and concentration. To remain glued to a tiny object has a severe effect on the eyes. Moreover being surrounded by the dust of the lead can have its repercussions on the breathing too. Yet the risk is often ignored when compared to the memorable and priceless happiness it gives to several people!

Maitreyi Tadepalli