Ashpak Janpatel Chattaraki makes monumental works out of wood

BIJAPUR: You give him a piece of wood and he turns it into a work of art. He has even carved the mighty Gol Gumbaz, the famous historical monument of Bijapur. It will take the pride of place on the Karnataka Rajyotsava Day on Friday.Ashpak Janpatel Chattaraki, 37, resident of Pety Bawadi, has been doing wood art since eight years. He studied only up to ninth standard. But his talent shines in wood work. He has carved many historical monuments. As for Gol Gumbaz, he has done 5,000 small models.The latest Gol Gumbaz model made with sagwan wood measures 5 feet x 4 feet. Ashpak has used wood shavings and small pieces of wood to make the tomb, which took him four months to make.He had to spend Rs 50,000 to carve this beautiful piece of monument. He took nearly one year to make it and he had four persons assisting him -- Imran Allabaksha Turakageri, Irfan Revur, Gous Turakanageri and Siddharth Korawar..Ashpak said: "Whenever I want to carve a monument, I sit in front of it for six hours and study it minutely.''What drives him to make the wood monuments? "Whenever people visit historical places, they want to take back some souvenirs home. I felt my wood models would serve the purpose.''After Gol Gumbaz what? Ashpak said he plans to make models of the Taj Mahal, the Jama Masjid of New Delhi and Karnataka's pride, the Vidhana Soudha.Ashkap said that many times he had urged the district administration to give him permission to set up a stall in the Gol Gumbaz premises. He said the government should recognize and encourage talent.