Gujarat Artist Shahena Gandhi Presents Agate Art to PM
Vadodara, November 2: Shahena Gandhi, an artist from Vadodara, Gujarat, has drawn appreciation for her unusual work in agate art. She recently gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi a special artwork that captures the National Unity Day parade and the Statue of Unity. The gift was made from thousands of agate stones with natural colours and took nearly two weeks to finish.
The Prime Minister warmly accepted the artwork and praised the effort behind it.
On October 30, during 'Bharat Parv 2026', Modi stopped by Gandhi's stall, viewed her creations and received the piece inspired by National Unity Day. The artwork includes the parade scene, the Statue of Unity visible behind it and the picturesque natural landscape nearby. The artist said the parade on National Unity Day motivated her to create it.
Gandhi shared that she has worked with agate stones for four decades, producing about 500 to 600 artworks in that period. She noted that the craft is very fine, and the tiny agate fragments cannot be coloured separately, so only their natural tones are used.
The time needed for each piece varies with its design and detailing, she explained. Greater detail means more hours of work. Her creations range in price from roughly Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
Gandhi also described her earlier meeting with the Prime Minister. She had made an agate map of India and shown it to him, and while he praised it, its large size prevented him from accepting it as a gift. He said he would accept a distinct and special piece from her later. In 2026, the Central Cottage Industries platform gave her another chance to meet him, and this time he accepted her National Unity Day parade artwork.
She said she is listed in the Golden Book of World Records because she is the first person to create this type of art. Before granting the recognition, she added, the authorities checked whether anyone else in the world was doing similar work. She called the honour a proud moment for herself and her whole family.
Gandhi said the art is a gift from Allah and that she did not learn it from any source. Her family, she added, cooperates fully with her work, and she described the Prime Minister's acceptance of her piece as a particularly special achievement for them.