You can easily rest Shilpa Mitha’s elaborate sadhya spread on two fingertips. This precise, intricate food model, crafted with air-dried clay, accommodates every essential element of the traditional banana-leaf meal, such as kalan, avial, matta rice, cut-mango pickle, papadam, banana, even a pinch of salt.
On her Instagram handle @suenosouvenir, the Chennai-based miniaturist displays her expanding catalogue of micro food, sized between 1.5-2.5 inches. “Some pieces take about 20 minutes, others can take five days. The sadhya was especially tricky because there were too many elements,” she says.
Mitha sculpts miniatures with a single needle-like tool and colours them with acrylic or oil paint, she has even created a customized softshell crab souvlaki for Masterchef Australia judge George Calombaris.
Mitha’s pieces are available as fridge magnets and collectibles at her monthly online sales, which are generally sold-out within an hour. “(The demand) is a little crazy. I work between 15-17 hours a day, and realized how demanding it was when my hand started acting up because of the repetitive movement.”
Follow @suenosouvenir on Instagram for details of upcoming sales. The miniatures are priced from ₹500-₹1,700.