HANDMADE MAKEOVER: Master’s student Purnesh Kumar has used waste material like dried branches and leaves and b... Read More

LUCKNOW: Creativity does not need money or fancy equipment. A student of Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts has shown the way to add life to a dilapidated structure without emptying pockets.

Studying for a master's degree in visual arts, Purnesh Kumar has single-handedly beautified a part of the college premises using waste material like dried tree branches and leaves, broken furniture and other items left abandoned on the campus.

A 16-foot-high installation of an ekka cart with a sketch of Rumi Darwaza in the backdrop, a farmer carrying a Re 1 coin showcasing the burden of loan and many such installations have become centres of attraction on the college campus.

The installations are now a source of inspiration for other students to join hands to revamp the more than a century-old college which is in a shambles due to lack of funds for its upkeep.

"Initially, when other students saw me collecting fallen branches of trees and waste material around the campus, they made fun of me. But, after I made my first life-size installation, I got support from my classmates and teachers," said Purnesh.

He credits his professor Vibhavari Singh for her guidance in his efforts to make the college campus beautiful.

"I plan to make more such installations on different themes so that when someone enters the campus, they don't point out its poor condition but get immersed in the creativity taught by the college," said Purnesh.

Purnesh's inspiration is his father Gaya Prasad , a small-time idol-maker.

"He encouraged me to bring about a change on the college campus. He said that not funds but hard work and skills were needed to make a difference," he added.

"Purnesh has set an example for other students who are coming forward with ideas to revamp arts college without disturbing its historical architecture," said Prof Singh.

