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Sandeep Sarkar
MUMBAI, OCT 23: Carving out miniature models is a skill honed to a fine art by some but for Rusi Banker, sprightly for his 87 years, it is a feat. An acclaimed art director who had bagged the prestigious Filmfare award for the epic Mirza Ghalib in 1954, he took it as a challenge to make miniature paper models of Mumbai's 20 heritage buildings.
Banker so already finished work on 14 models. Some of his creations include the models of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, the Victoria Terminus, the Bombay High Court, the Rajabai Tower, the Crawford Market, the Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Gateway of India, the Elphinstone College, the Taj Hotel, J N Petit Hall, Churchgate station, the Oriental building among others.
For a man of his age Banker has remarkable energy and enthusiasm for he has set sight on creating a miniature model of the Prince of Wales Museum. The showcase in the Banker household at Nariman Point is a veritable Mumbai in its tiniest form.
Banker said he struck upon the idea ofmaking paper models while reading about the Noah's Ark. He modelled the ark with 56 pairs of animals enclosed in a glass bottle which took him nearly a year. Next on the list of paper models were Westminster Abbey, Houses of Lords and Commons in the British Parliament, Windsor Castle, the White House, the Capitol and the Vatican. However, this venture seemed too big for now.
So he decided to concentrate on heritage buildings in Amchi Mumbai. After going through the basics of taking photographs of these structures from various angles and measuring the distance by walking around them, Banker works section by section of a particular structure, constructing it in paper and painting in every minute detail. It takes him from seven months to a year to complete one model.
The sad part is he dare not exhibit his works because of their fragile nature. However, persuaded by his daughters he plans to preserve his latest creations. The Limca Book of Records will feature Banker in its latest edition.
Born inNagpur, Banker's entry into the world of art and films was purely accidental. ``My aim was to become a doctor as I was interested in Chemistry, but an accident which forced a six-month stay in hospital shattered my hopes,'' he says.
Luck smiled on Banker when Rustomji, brother of veteran film maker Sohrab Modi, visited Nagpur and spotted a promising talent. After a stint in various studios for nearly two years, Banker joined Modi's Minerva Movietone from its inception in 1932. Banker's association with the legendary Modi lasted nearly 30 years with over 60 films including Jhansi Ki Rani, Pukar, Sikandar, Kundan and Mirza Galib for which he bagged the prestigious Filmfare award.
After the closure of Minerva Movietone, Banker along with his family moved to Shimla in 1961 where he ran a boarding house.
Returning to Mumbai in 1973 Banker dabbled in oil painting and held three exhibitions. In 1994 he took to making miniature paper models and has never looked back.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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