Sand-made magical moments at festival
abu dhabi — Indian sand artist Udayan Edappal produced some wonderful moments with his magical works during the UAE-India Fest organised by Indian Social and Cultural Centre in the Capital.
The Emirati audience among the guests was left dazed as Udayan transformed his sand-made image of Abu Dhabi’s leaning Capital Gate Tower to Aldar headquarters’ circu- lar building and then to Burj Al Arab and eventually Burj Khalifa, all in a matter of minutes. He later created Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque too.
Udayan’s masterstroke was images of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Even as Udayan started with the eyebrow of Sheikh Zayed, sweet whispers were heard from all corners: ‘Hey, it’s Sheikh Zayed’.
When he finished with Sheikh Mohamed waving with one hand, there was rounds of thunderous applause. His thread and nail work done on Sheikh Zayed is also exhibited at the fest.
“I came here on short notice from India but have spent enough years here to know what Sheikh Mohamed’s visit means to both Indians and Emiratis here,” Udayan, who had worked in Mussafah from 2009 to 2013 before moving to Kerala, told Khaleej Times.
He is a cine art director and has worked in many movies.
“My thread and nail work on Sheikh Zayed was appreciated by many Emiratis. This is my tribute to this great country,” he added.
Udayan also displayed his skill through images of historical Indian monuments of Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar among others.
Actress and classical dancer Lakshmi Gopalaswami, who had finished her performances, sat on the stage watching the sand-made story unfold on the big screen. Among other events were songs in various Indian languages, splendid dance performances by children and Kerala martial art form Kalaripayattu. And the last fest day of Saturday was packed with instrument show by artist Sabreesh Prabhaker, magic show, martial arts performance, Khaleeji dance and classical Indian dances. The night’s headline event was Indian playback singer Naresh Iyer’s concert.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com