Filipino artist pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by creating his portrait on fern leaf

A young Filipino artist paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st birth anniversary on Friday, October 2, by creating a portrait of the Father of India on a large fern leaf. Ryan Managaysay transformed the fern leaf into a leaf portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. The video of the artist making the leaf portrait was shared by the Indian embassy in the Philippines. 

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'Have a meaningful celebration' 

In another video shared by the Indian embassy on Facebook, Ryan explains what inspired him to make the portrait of Gandhi and why he chose the particular type of fern leaf for the art. Ryan, who is a social studies student at Summer State University, says that nature has always been his canvas before he starts crafting his art on a basket fern leaf. 

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Ryan says that he uses the basket fern leaf for most of his art because it is one of the most robust ferns one can find in Samar, the third-largest island in the Philippines. Ryan explains that he uses a straight edge ruler, a ballpen, or a marker pen to create a grid and layout on the leaves. Ryan uses a razor blade to create forms and shapes on the leaves. 

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Ryan further added that he uses a razor blade because it is the only tool available at his place due to the community lockdown and also it helps him make the full out of the resources available. Ryan says that the leaf-cutting is the most difficult part of the entire process that includes drawing of the portrait with a marker pen. Ryan says that is difficult because even just one mistake can destroy the leaf design. 

Ryan, after completing the art, says that as a social science student he has learned to value Gandhi's principle of non-violence and respect to humanity. "In this century, I hope we would value, more than ever, the lessons that the world's one and only Mahatma Gandhi had taught us," Ryan says. 

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