Popular artist Manilal Sabarimala, who wielded his micro pen and brush to produce a spectacular range of drawings of Sri Ganesha on a canvas, has created a world record for his artistic exploration of the popular deity in various forms and manifestations.

The Universal Record Forum (URF) recognised Manilal’s work as the first of its kind — 10,000 drawings of Sri Ganesha — using micro pen on 20×5 ft canvas, which he completed in a month.

The world record was officially recognised on Monday, where representatives from the URF were present.

In 2008, Manilal had accomplished record by completing 4,500 acrylic paintings of Ganapathy on a single canvas.

The 60-year-old artist dedicated seven to eight hours every day from June 27 to July 25 to complete his dream work — 10,000 drawings of Sri Ganesha — which brought him the prestigious URF record.

A native of Ranni, Perunad in Pathanamthitta district, he graduated in botany and followed up with a B.Ed degree. The artist holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees from Mysore University and Diploma in Multimedia from Hyderabad.

He worked as a teacher in the Royal Government of Bhutan till 1999, before finding his niche as a full-fledged artist.

After developing a keen interest in drawing, Manilal focused more on concept-based creation than the conventional pattern of realistic painting. Thus, his first painting was on the concept of Sri Ganesha, the deity who, according to belief and religious traditions, removes obstacles.

“Lord Ganesha is the ultimate power that spreads positive energy. So, I indulged in recreating different forms of the deity through my paintings. I have tried to illustrate a new version of the deity through the psychological and philosophical re-reading of the concept of Ganesha,” said the artist.

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