Artist salutes Modi with a portrait on ‘vaal’

RAJKOT: For all the intricate work that jewellery demands, 74-year-old Jayantilal Ranpara has mastered the art and has not just confined himself to making jewellery, but extended his fine skill to paintings too. An artist at heart, Ranpara’s canvas is tad unusual — he paints on Lima beans (a pulse that is locally better known as ‘vaal’) — a skill that requires so much patience that many would find it daunting. However, this master artist has already completed 99 portraits on his thimble-sized canvas. This time he made his 100th painting — one that has been dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his oath taking ceremony on Thursday.


To his credit, Ranpara has made water colour and oil paintings on bigger canvas too. But, he nurtures a special interest in painting on Lima beans — something that he has been practicing since 1960. Various world political and religious leaders figure in his ‘vaal’ art including the likes of

Queen Victoria

, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Abdul Kalam, Kennedy, Kalpna Chavla, Pramukh Swami and others.

Talking to TOI, Ranpara said, “I have to make two parts vertically, and I succeed only in the fifth or the sixth bean. Thereafter, I paint water colour on it and painting a face exactly on such a small surface requires extreme cautiousness. It is a very difficult task. I have made my 100th paining on beans specially to congratulate Modi on his oath taking ceremony.”

With age and weakening eyesight, Ranpara, who even underwent operation for cataract in both the eyes, this was his special gift for the Prime Minister. Ranpara also painted India’s surgical strike in Balakot on a big canvas.