Poriem youth sees the faces of gods in stones, shapes them to perfection

Keri: For centuries across India, idols of deities have been fashioned from stone, clay, metal, wood, flour, leaves, flowers and other materials available in nature. In Goa, a youth from Poriem in the Sattari taluka has taken the practice a step further. Paresh Mandrekar collects stones and pebbles whose shapes naturally resemble various Hindu gods and human figures, only shaping them slightly to help accentuate the figure within the stone or pebble’s natural form.This Ganesh Chaturthi, Mandrekar decided to display a part of his unique collection, specially those featuring images of the elephant-headed god. It piqued the interest of the people, many of whom came to see and appreciate his unique art form.Having spent his growing-up years by the banks of the Valvonti river at Poriem’s Tulshimala, Mandrekar played extensively with pebbles and stones of varied sizes, shapes and colours that were found in abundance by the river. His artistic vision gradually developed as he matured, prompting him to search for resemblances of divinity in these pebbles and stones. Soon enough, he developed a hobby for collecting specimens of art that were naturally available in them.“I have been connected to the river since my childhood, and whenever I walk on the river bed, I always find myself searching for stones and pebbles having unique shapes and sizes. If possible, I attempt to facilitate the visibility of the divine in those shapes. In 2001 for instance, I chanced upon a stone resembling Lord Hanuman. It is now being worshipped inside a shrine,” Mandrekar told TOI. “From then on, I have been involved in collecting stones and pebbles that naturally resemble deities, particularly Lord Ganesh.”