Hyderabad: “Art has no boundaries.” This statement is aptly demonstrated by Telangana leaf artist Gundu Siva Kumar, who was recently recognized by the High Range Book of World Records for carving 1,005 images on leaves.
At the age of 29, Gundu Shiv Kumar started his journey in leaf carving when he was in 9th grade, inspired by videos he watched. He learned this art himself and has since gained popularity for his intricately carved paintings, especially those of freedom fighters.
With aspirations to reach greater heights, Kumar now aims to achieve the Guinness World Record. This is not the first time his talent has been recognised; In February this year, India Records acknowledged Kumar’s work, and last year, he was listed in the Telangana Book of Records for carving images on leaves in just 20 months.
Gundu Siva Kumar, a resident of Sangareddy, said, “Though pencil sketching and glass painting are quite common, I wanted to learn a new form of art. That’s when I came across leaf art on social media platforms. Going through several YouTube videos, I Taught myself the techniques. Since then, I have carved more than 50 images on Peepal leaves. Besides, I enjoy remembering various occasions, be it festivals or special events, with my leaf carvings. Via.To date, he has created around 2,000 artworks on leaves, showcasing his dedication and passion for this unique art.
Elaborating on why he chose the Peepal-Fig leaf, he said, “This leaf is sacred because many mythological stories are written on these leaves. The specialty of the leaf is that it does not look faded even after drying. Is.” Even if anything is written on it, it does not get erased.” Apart from the sacred peepal-fig leaves, he also tried to make paintings on palm tree leaves and leaves of other trees, but their survival life was very short.
It takes 15 minutes to one and a half hours to carve a picture. After seeing his impressive work on social networking sites, many people contacted him and requested to carve portraits of their loved ones on leaves as gifts for birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special occasions. Additionally, he also runs online tutorial art classes.
