The sand sculptor of Marina Beach who greets the dawn

On an early weekday morning, a scattering of sunrise watchers strolled along Marina Beach. Some lingered on the recently installed bamboo chairs, while a few paused to watch an artist bent intently over the sand. Holding nothing more than a flat wooden ice cream spoon and buckets of sea water, Karthik M. was building delicate triangular arches — the sand sculpture of the Thirumalai Jain Temple in Tiruvannamalai — starting his work early, before dawn.

For 28 years, this artist has built one sand sculpture after another, only to see each succumb to the inevitability of impermanence by the end of the day. And then he begins all over again, creating a new temple, fort, or monument.

“I am planning to recreate the Vellore Fort on the same stretch of sand next week. But it has to be neither scorching hot nor pouring rain. Anything in between, like today, works, or it just collapses in seconds. Since the rainy season has started, making sand sculptures now is unpredictable,” he says.

A native of Tiruvannamalai, Mr. Karthik previously trained under renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik in Puri. “Chennai gave me my livelihood,” he says. “Most of my earnings come from birthdays and events, and largely, clients ask me to build the Taj Mahal sand sculpture. I start work around 4 a.m. at Marina, Bessy [Elliots Beach at Besant Nagar], or Mahabalipuram Beach, so it is ready before they arrive,” he adds.

What sustains this artist, is the simple joy of watching people pause, smile, and take creative photos
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Special Arrangement

Mr. Karthik has also travelled to other parts of India to build sand sculptures and occasionally collaborates with fine arts students for larger projects in Mahabalipuram. But for the most part, his practice remains solitary.

Struggling business

“It has not been a steady business for the past few months, as there have been no events. Stability is quite rare, especially during the monsoon and extreme summer days,” adds Mr. Karthik. He also opens up about how sand art is often overlooked. “Some people stop to admire the details, some see it as mere entertainment, and a few look down on sand artists. But for me, creating this art is a way of showing respect to it. Many youngsters are not looking forward to learning sand art sculpture these days, as they believe it is not on par with other crafts.”

The tools of his trade remain basic, although palette and putty knives, clay sculpting tools, and final sprayers would help. “Whatever I earn is just enough for me and my family. I can’t spend that on high-end tools yet,” he admits.

What sustains this artist, though, is the simple joy of watching people pause, smile, and take creative photos, as if they are holding the dome of the Taj Mahal sand sculpture. “Lately, many YouTubers have been collaborating with me in their vlogs. Social media has truly helped artists like me by spreading our work beyond the beach.”