Bengaluru, Feb 24 (IANS) A bottle artist in Bengaluru welcomed Donald Trump to India in his own artistic style, by encapsulating the image of US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a glass bottle.
“I extend my warm wishes and a hearty welcome to Trump with my beautiful glass art. I have carefully encapsulated his image in the glass jar,” Basavaraju Somaraja Gowda told IANS.
An electrician by profession, Gowda, 46, spent three to four days to carefully assemble the images in the glass, costing him Rs 8,000.
“Bottle art is my hobby. I have been doing it for more than 18 years,” said a beaming Gowda.
Earlier, he had framed former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam in a bottle in 2006 and personally presented it to him at an event in the renowned Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
“I personally presented my art to Kalam sir back in 2006 and he spoke to me for a few minutes,” Gowda said.
Explaining how he achieves this feat, Gowda said he meticulously inserts every single piece inside bottle using tools he made and deftly glues them together.
“I made my own tools with a small iron rod and I use araldite to glue the art components together,” he said.
Earlier, Gowda also assembled a cell phone inside the bottle, clock, and a miniature model of a windmill, all of them finding a place in the Limca Book of Records.
The artist said he has received three honorary doctorates for his art work.
Interestingly, Gowda doesn’t sell his art work but only does it for a hobby or when any of his friends commission one for an occasion.
Though he wants to gift his art work to Trump, Gowda said he doesn’t have access to the most powerful man in the world.
“If somebody like a politician or a minister can help me meet the President, I will surely present him my art,” added Gowda.