L Iswar Rao with his creation. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 26: A young sculptor at Jatni near the capital has created an interesting miniature of the Olympics logo by inserting a chalk sculpture inside a bottle. The sculptor, L. Iswar Rao, has dedicated his craft to the ultimate sporting event that begins this Friday.

The five rings of the Olympic logo have been coloured by Iswar in his mini sculpture. Lending the traditional colours to the rings, he has also carved a multi-coloured mini banner on chalk saying ‘London 2012’.

“I usually work on stone and marble. But whenever a mega event is held, I try to create something unique on chalk or pencil,” said Rao, a professionally trained sculptor. “I have been working on miniature logos since childhood and have a collection of those commemorating several events. I also have miniature carvings of actors and sportspersons made on chalk or graphite tip,” he said.

Rao had created miniatures of the 2011 World Cup in various sizes when the event was held in India last year. His collection of replicas includes creations on graphite pencil tips, soaps, chalk pieces and even raw tamarind seeds. After creating the tiny sculptures intricately, the artist seals them in bottles.

“As a fan of cricket, more than 200 pieces of bottle crafts that I have made are dedicated to my favourite cricketers,” he said.

“For the Olympics, I used paper drawings of the ring pasted on a glass plate. Under this is the London 2012 miniature chalk craft. I have sealed them in a 350ml bottle, which is the toughest part of the craft. It took me three days to create this,” said Rao.

An ardent sports lover, the 30-year-old sculptor will be following the Olympics keenly.

“This is the biggest sporting event of the world and though I would wish the best for Indian sportspersons, I wish to see close contests and exceptional performances in all the events,” he said.

“If our country wins a medal, I have planned to create something special,” he said.