Sculptor recreates lifelike village landscape on wooden table in Nagaland

Lifelike panoramic scenes from a village complete with huts, a bridge and even a gushing waterfall have been recreated on a block of wood fashioned into a glass top dining table by a sculptor in Nagaland.

Ningwon Zingkhai, a sculptor who had envisioned a panoramic village scene, has carved the table with a waterfall, bridge, lights and a stream flowing into a lake under a dining table.

Zingkhai who makes pots and other items with clay brought from his village in Ukhrul district says he spent over a year in completing the masterpiece, which was carved out of a block of a huge woodblock at his house at Darogojan in the outskirts of Dimapur town.

ANI took to Twitter to share some of the images of the art and the artist:

Sopem, Zingkhai’s wife said, “I did not have any idea about what he was doing before. As a wife, I used to complain of working for so long and never completing his work. We are not financially sound and needed money for our family needs.”

Zingkhai, who manages his family needs with the small income from sales of pottery items, had borrowed a 7x4 feet wood block from a friend promising to pay him back after completion of the work.

Ninglum, a neighbour said, “Ningwon Zingkhai took a huge block of wood last year. We asked him what he is going to do with it and he said that he will make a dining table with a village, waterfall, mountains etc. We did not believe him and thought he was joking. But he turned his imagination in reality.”

Zingkhai has recently completed the table after working for more than a year. He had spent about Rs 1.70 lakh but there is no prospective buyer so far.

“There is not a prospective buyer for this table as of now. I have spent Rs 1.70 lakh to build the dining table. But I intend to sell it for Rs 20 lakh considering the amount of time, energy and money spent in buying materials while making this,” Zingkhai said.

On being asked about his next sculpture, he said, “I want to make a landscape of Jesus and his 12 disciples of an area covering 100x50 metres at Phangrei plateau in Ukhrul district. The place is a tourist spot and I want tourists to see Jesus when they visit it.”