<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/sep/panther-paddy.jpg" alt="" /> The black panther artwork that can be seen on the farm till December
A retired mechanical engineer from Pune has found an exceptional way to contribute towards animal conservation efforts. The 67-year-old Pune-based engineer-turned-botanist has created the image of a leaping black panther, an endangered species, on his five-acre farm in Dhonje, near Pune.
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The entire artwork is harvestable rice crop, with the panther image growing black rice, Najar Bhat, which is famous in Karnataka. "The black panther is an endangered animal and I want to draw attention towards its conservation. If we don&rsquo;t act now, the animal will only exist in books and in children&rsquo;s stories," said Shrikant Ingalhalikar, a resident of Sinhagad.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/sep/ganesh-paddy.jpg" alt="" />Shrikant Ingalhalikar's Ganesha artwork last year
He said he took up agriculture post retirement, and while researching on ways to use his farmland, he cha&shy;n&shy;ced upon Japanese paddy field art. The art form originated in Inakadate village of north Japan where farmers still plant rice with their hands.
In 1993, the Inakadate farmers found out that their paddy growing tradition had completed 2,000 years. To celebrate this, the rice growers invented &lsquo;Tambo Ata&rsquo; or Paddy Art, which is now a huge tourist draw in the village.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/sep/shrikantingalhalikar.jpg" alt="" /> Shrikant Ingalhalikar
Ingalhalikar said, "I spotted this art form on the Internet and became deeply inspired by it. I decided to replicate this on my own farm and I now grow Indrayani rice and black rice varieties. I started working on the art form last year when I made a 120x80 feet Lord Ganesha image. The panther artwork, too, is the same size."
Creating the artwork is a backbreaking job, Ingalhalikar said. "This form of art takes a lot of time and effort. I have to get a bird&rsquo;s eye view of the patch that I want the artwork on and then get the images printed and transferred in the space through paddy. It takes a week to complete the design and planting process, and then a month for the artwork to show up. I will harvest the black panther artwork in three months."

The 67-year-old Pune-based engineer-turned-botanist has created the image of a leaping black panther, an endangered species, on his five-acre farm in Dhonje, near Pune

Art or food? Black panther captivates visitors on this Pune farm

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Art or food? Black panther captivates visitors on this Pune farm

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