When football legend Diego Maradona died on November 25, an artist here could not sleep a wink that night. Rajendran Vadakkepadath, who runs R.J. School of Arts here, sat up the whole night praying for his icon.
His restlessness continued throughout the next day until he gave vent to his creativity on a banyan tree leaf.
Using an artistic genre called ‘leaf cutting art,’ Mr. Rajendran etched the face of Maradona on the leaf. If the leaf is held against the sky or against light, Maradona’s smiling face will be visible on it.
Mr. Rajendran has already carved a lofty place for himself in the art of leaf painting. His paintings on dried banana leaves have earned him international fame.
“I chose a single banyan tree leaf (leaf of ‘peraal’) because I wanted to pay homage to him in a manner nobody else has done. The elliptical banyan tree leaf is thick, large, glossy, and will last longer than other leaves,” he said.
Four hours
Using a special blade, Mr. Rajendran carved…