Tiny battlefields: Artist builds war machines in miniature

Surat: As global attention remains fixed on the war between the the US, Israel and Iran, a city-based architect is turning to miniature war machines to explore how conflicts are fought, remembered and understood.Abhijit Pariyal, an alumnus of Cept University, recreated key moments from military history through more than 150 models of tanks, fighter jets, weapons and soldier figures. His work, inspired by the Indian Armed Forces, blends craftsmanship with research into warfare and military technology.One of his notable creations depicts soldiers celebrating atop a tank after the Indian Army's victory over Pakistani forces in the Battle of Longewala. Another model recreates a post-Kargil War aerial encounter in which an Indian Air Force MiG-21 interceptor shot down a Pakistan Navy Atlantique aircraft near the Kutch border after it entered Indian airspace.Pariyal said his work began as a way to understand the nature of conflict. Each diorama starts with research into a specific war, event or machine, followed by detailed planning of scale and composition. He uses a mix of kits, 3D printing and hand-built techniques for vehicles, while human figures are sculpted using epoxy clay. Bases are created with materials such as fibre, plastic and metal, and finished with paints and pigments.His collection also features models of aircraft like the MiG-29 and Mirage 2000, tanks such as the T-55, and sculptures of Sam Manekshaw.