City traffic superintendent of police (SP) P.K. Das would exhibit the driftwood art collection at Patna Book Fair, which will start at Gandhi Maidan from December 4 and will go on till December 15.
Driftwood is a piece of wood that has been washed ashore either by strong winds, waves or tides.
The wood pieces, which float on water most of the times, take unique shapes with the waves passing and cutting through them. They have become an art form and are mainly used for decorations. India has got a driftwood museum at Kumarakom village in Kerala.
"Driftwood art has been my hobby for the past 26 years. Near the Bhuranath Chowk in Bhagalpur district, I have created a kind of driftwood park spread over an acre of land and have many art forms. I have travelled a lot to collect them. The organisers of the book fair had come to me requesting that the art forms be displayed in the fair. Though I am possessive about displaying them, they persuaded me and I finally agreed," the officer said on Tuesday.
The SP said he has got more than 30 driftwood art forms in Bhagalpur and will display around 20 of them at the book fair.
The officer said: "The largest driftwood piece I have resembles a dancing girl which is 17-feet tall. I don't want to give away too many details, as some of them will be there at the fair for the people to see. I have made it clear to the fair organisers that only my name and not my official designation should be displayed with the art forms. While working on driftwood pieces, I am not a cop but an artist. Whenever I get time, I venture out anywhere in search of driftwood, which I think is appealing to the eyes and resembles something. I think I have an eye for that."
The officer is excited about the fair, and is also focused on the Mahatma Gandhi Setu.
"I had implemented a formula and the traffic condition on the bridge was normal for three months. Recently, few problems have cropped up mainly because of heavy vehicles disobeying traffic rules or officers on field not being able to grasp the formula. My focus is to ensure that the Setu remains free from traffic snarls at all times. I am as committed to it as I am when it comes to the driftwood art." Das told The Telegraph.