AU alumnus to take part in US snow sculpture meet
ALLAHABAD: For second year in a row, a team of four young artistes, including an Allahabad University (AU) alumnus, has bagged the honour to participate in the prestigious Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championship in the US.
In the championship to be held in Breckenridge, Colorado from January 22 to 29, 2018, the team —India Callisto — will carve 20-tonne, 12-foot-tall blocks of snow without power tools, internal support structures or colorants.
In all, 16 teams from 12 countries have got the call-up for the event from among 450 applications worldwide.
The artistes Zahoor Din Lone (32) from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, Ravi Prakash (28) from Kaimur in Bihar and an AU alumnus, Sunil Kushwaha (31) from Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Irfan Lateef Mir (29) of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir are busy preparing for the mega event these days.
Irfan is a new member of the team and replaces Mridul Kumar Upadhyay (26) of Agra.
Zahoor, son of a government driver, is the team leader.
Kushwaha is son of a coal field labourer. Ravi’s father was labourer at a cement factory in Andhra Pradesh till last year when he suffered a partial paralysis and was forced to return home. Irfan is son of a fruit and vegetable vendor.
“The four of us are friends. Zahoor, Sunil and I have done our masters in fine arts from Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi. Zahoor participated at the ‘Snow Fiesta-2014’ in Gulmarg. He shared his experience with us and we decided to try bag an invitation from Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championship-2017. So, we made a small model of what we planned and applied. We got selected. This time again we have bagged the invitation,” said Ravi, who recently joined as a guest faculty at Jamia Milia Islamia central university, while talking to Hindustan Times.
“We are undeterred by the fact that barring Zahoor and Irfan, also a post graduate from Jamia Milia Islamia, two of us come from Indian states known for their hot, humid, tropical weather,”said Ravi.
“We have finalized the creation— a magnificent form of Lord Ganesha’ dubbed ‘Personification’ that we would be making on ice this time. Having gained invaluable experience on our first outing when we even bagged the Spirit Award, we are confident of doing better this time,” added Ravi who along with his teammates is now trying to raise ₹7 lakh required for the four to visit and participate in the contest.
The championship is organised by the International Snow Sculpture Organising Committee (ISSCOC) every year and is into its 28th edition.