Everyone has heard this story in some form or the other – a young boy moves from his hometown to a big city, with nothing but a bag full of clothes and a heart full of dreams. He then takes on every challenge the world has to offer and comes out on top. This story is shown very frequently in movies and TV shows. However, there are people who have lived such stories in real life as well. Uday Kumar Sangisetti, who moved from Khammam to Hyderabad, also came to the city, with just the belief that the world was his oyster. What he didn’t anticipate was how big he’ll eventually get online, and the fact that he’ll get a few world records on the way as well.
Uday is a micro-artist. In simple terms, he finds and creates art at places so small that people wouldn’t believe it at first. His “area” of expertise is at the tip of his pencil, metaphorically as well as literally. He is so into the art that he sometimes even adds “Micro-artist” as a surname to his own name. Carving designs on the lead of a pencil are extremely delicate to do, and Uday needs at least 2 to 3 hours in order to finish one project. However, he aims even higher and says that he wants to carve entire portraits on the lead of pencils.
His encounter with art started off as an accident. When he faced the dilemma of having to gift his friend a present but not having any money, Uday carved a P on the tip of a pencil. He expected it to be just another gift, but the response he got was overwhelming for him. He got even more into the art form when he witnessed artists sketching portraits on paper with a pencil. Ever since he has made pencils into his domain of work and has gone past simple letters and onto more complicated designs.
He has not looked back ever since and has started to make money out of what started off as a hobby. He takes orders from people who want to give specialized gifts to people. He has paid tribute to many famous people through his art, including Michael Jackson and Mahatma Gandhi. His Instagram is filled with videos and photos of his artworks, and he is gaining views and followers fast.
Uday is also the recipient of a Vajra World Record, which was purely coincidental, he admits. While his initial aim was carving on 10 different pencils leads in record time, he ended up having the record for his carving on a 0.7 mm pencil lead. He acknowledges the struggle he had to face to get to the top, and remains as humble as before despite the recognition. He has gone from letters to intricate designs, working with a magnifying glass to without, and from carving slowly to carving 4 letters within 3 minutes. Yet, he stays the same introvert guy, who came to Hyderabad with just his hopes, and a few notes.
Uday has turned teacher now, and he handles all creative events in Hyderabad for Madcap. He teaches other people the same art he taught himself and has overseen students of many different ages. And while he is equally focused on his own art, he is equally engrossed in finding the next Uday, who might be sitting somewhere in a class he is teaching, maybe carving a “U” on their pencil as a gift for Uday.
Now he has a collection of 50-odd carvings on normal pencil leads and over 500 names etched on mechanical leads. His favourite carving is the lady in the traditional saree. He feels that the beauty of a woman comes out the best in a saree, "I think it's the sexiest garment ever. It shows the right amount, it covers the right amount, it's extremely versatile, it suits every body type, it suits every face." adds our Micro-artist.
Follow him on Instagram and see his hands do the magic. He goes live every single day!
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