<p>With its dazzling range of artefacts on stones that will simply freeze you, Stona-2012 is back with a bang to rock Bangalore.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Organised once in two years, the four-day global event of professionals in the stone industry kicked off at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre on Tumkur Road on Wednesday.<br /><br />If Basha’s Evershine Group gives you ideas about how a small space in the courtyard can be designed using granite rock in an attractive way, the neighbouring stall of Amman Granite mesmerises with a 12-foot-tall fountain, with water flowing out of the mouths of 10 black granite dolphins. Cost of the fountain? Rs 25 lakh.<br /><br />“Our 25 artists took six months to create this fountain, which is divided into four sections,” said an executive of Amman Granite.<br /><br />The expression ‘Cradle to Grave’ finds literal manifestation at the fair, which offers products from designer cradles with granite pillars to trendy tombs. <br /><br />Painter in sculptor<br /><br />If the various artefacts showcase the imagination of the chiselers, there are well-polished simple granite and marble slabs portraying nature as painter par excellence. <br /><br />Two artists - Mahendra Sharma and Dharmendra Sharma - from Jaipur know what sells like hot-cakes in Bangalore. <br /><br />The duo from Rajaram Moorti Bhandar have Bangalore lass Deepika Padukone as their ‘Brand Ambassador’. <br /><br />They picked Markana Marble to recreate the Bollywood actress in stone. The intricately-carved idol can overwhelm onlookers and has the potential to envy the exhibits at Madame Tussauds Art Gallery in London.<br /><br />“With the help of a picture of Deepika Padukone, we brought out her persona on marble in a traditional way,” said Mahendra.<br /><br />S R Kumar of Gem Granites gives reasons why Bangalore is suitable for Stona. <br />“Bangalore is surrounded with deposits of a wide range of granite rocks. There are about 300 types of granite, but only 75 varieties are popular and are considered the best,” said Kumar.<br /><br />If Chamarajnagar Black Granite is considered hard rock, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, not far from Bangalore, offers a wide range of granite rocks. <br /><br />Kanakapura offers multi-colour granite, which can be used for making artistic columns and beams. Ilkal Granite is known worldwide for its red colour.</p>
<p>With its dazzling range of artefacts on stones that will simply freeze you, Stona-2012 is back with a bang to rock Bangalore.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Organised once in two years, the four-day global event of professionals in the stone industry kicked off at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre on Tumkur Road on Wednesday.<br /><br />If Basha’s Evershine Group gives you ideas about how a small space in the courtyard can be designed using granite rock in an attractive way, the neighbouring stall of Amman Granite mesmerises with a 12-foot-tall fountain, with water flowing out of the mouths of 10 black granite dolphins. Cost of the fountain? Rs 25 lakh.<br /><br />“Our 25 artists took six months to create this fountain, which is divided into four sections,” said an executive of Amman Granite.<br /><br />The expression ‘Cradle to Grave’ finds literal manifestation at the fair, which offers products from designer cradles with granite pillars to trendy tombs. <br /><br />Painter in sculptor<br /><br />If the various artefacts showcase the imagination of the chiselers, there are well-polished simple granite and marble slabs portraying nature as painter par excellence. <br /><br />Two artists - Mahendra Sharma and Dharmendra Sharma - from Jaipur know what sells like hot-cakes in Bangalore. <br /><br />The duo from Rajaram Moorti Bhandar have Bangalore lass Deepika Padukone as their ‘Brand Ambassador’. <br /><br />They picked Markana Marble to recreate the Bollywood actress in stone. The intricately-carved idol can overwhelm onlookers and has the potential to envy the exhibits at Madame Tussauds Art Gallery in London.<br /><br />“With the help of a picture of Deepika Padukone, we brought out her persona on marble in a traditional way,” said Mahendra.<br /><br />S R Kumar of Gem Granites gives reasons why Bangalore is suitable for Stona. <br />“Bangalore is surrounded with deposits of a wide range of granite rocks. There are about 300 types of granite, but only 75 varieties are popular and are considered the best,” said Kumar.<br /><br />If Chamarajnagar Black Granite is considered hard rock, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, not far from Bangalore, offers a wide range of granite rocks. <br /><br />Kanakapura offers multi-colour granite, which can be used for making artistic columns and beams. Ilkal Granite is known worldwide for its red colour.</p>
