Vadodara: Shaheena Sikander Gandhi, an agate stone artist from Gujarat’s Vadodara, gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi a unique artwork made from naturally coloured agate stones, depicting the National Unity Day parade and the Statue of Unity.
Gandhi, who has been practising the art for nearly four decades, has also been nominated for the Golden Book of World Records for creating what she describes as the first agate chips wall artwork.
Speaking to IANS, Gandhi said the nomination followed a process to verify whether anyone else had created a similar form of art.
“They checked whether anyone else had created this art form, and only after that was I given the award for being the first to create it,” she said.
Gandhi described presenting her artwork to the Prime Minister as a proud moment for her and her family. She also showed a photograph of herself with Modi, which the Prime Minister shared on social media platform X. In the photograph, she can be seen holding the artwork as Modi looks at it before accepting it as a gift.
“Prime Minister Modi accepting my artwork as a gift was a very proud moment for me and my family. The painting that I gifted him depicted the entire National Unity Day parade. I was inspired by the rally held on National Unity Day,” she said.
The artwork also features the Statue of Unity set against a landscape, bringing together the national event and the iconic monument in a composition made entirely from agate stones.
Shaheena said she had been creating such artworks for the past 40 years and had produced around 500 to 600 pieces so far. The time required to complete each work depends on its size and the level of detailing involved.
One of her most elaborate creations is an artwork depicting the map of India, in which each state is represented through its significant historical architecture. She said the piece took a year to complete.
Recalling her first meeting with Modi, Shaheena Gandhi said she had presented the Prime Minister with the agate artwork depicting India’s map. He appreciated the creation but could not accept it as a gift at the time because of its large size.
She later got another opportunity to meet him through the Central Cottage Industries initiative at Bharat Parv 2026. During the event, she presented her latest artwork, which Modi appreciated and accepted as a gift.
Gandhi said the price of her creations ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh, depending on the intricacy and detailing of each piece.
Explaining the painstaking process involved, she said agate stone artwork requires patience and precision because the designs are assembled from very small stone chips. The natural colours of the stones are central to the technique, and artificial colours are not used.
She also said she had learnt the art on her own rather than receiving formal training.
“By the grace of Allah, I did not learn this art from anywhere. I learnt it myself,” Gandhi said.
Her home bears testimony to her decades-long journey, with its walls adorned with awards and recognitions received from various institutions for her artistic work.
Through her intricate creations, Gandhi has developed a distinctive art form that combines natural materials, painstaking craftsmanship and representations of India’s cultural and historical heritage.
(ANS)
