“My name is Panna Maheshwari and I am a professional miniature artist from Hyderabad. I was passionate about various art forms such as painting, Mehendi design, calligraphy, etc. right from my childhood. After my Post Graduation in Hindi Literature, I pursued my passion for art full time along with my Screen Printing Business.

Talking about my journey into miniature art, it all started with one incident which introduced me to this beautiful artwork. In the year 1990, I was presented with a rice grain with “Happy New Year” written on it by my brother in law. I was completely awestruck by looking at the work. It certainly motivated me to do something different in life and I tried to replicate the same by myself. After about six months of trial and error, I finally succeeded in doing a miniature art on the rice grain. Since then, I have been striving to level up my skills in this art form.

Initially, I had only practised writing in Hindi and English languages and mastered this skill over the years of practice. Today, I can accommodate as many as 220 alphabets on a single rice grain. I can even write in more than 63 languages of the world. Apart from writing, I can also draw faces and monuments on the rice grain.

My first English phrase was ‘I Love My India.’ Later, I progressed into writing Urdu Kamlas, drawing the faces of noted personalities, historical monuments and also the autographs of celebrities.
I use different varieties of tools ranging from fine brushes made from horsehair to technical pens with ink to write, draw and paint on the rice grain.

The biggest challenge in this art form is to remain focused throughout the process. It certainly demands the highest level of concentration and there is no room to make mistakes. The slightest of deviation could cost hours of effort and time and you are back to square one since these are created on a much smaller scale than the usual standard art forms.

Last year, during May, I was conferred with the Asian Book of Records and also the Champion Book of Records for the ‘Most Celebrities Signature Engraved on Rice Grains’ category. Not only that, I have received a room full of awards and prizes throughout my career so far in miniature art. It certainly makes me feel happy about my achievements. However, the biggest satisfaction would be seeing the smiles on the faces of people who adorn my work. My future goal is to get this art form its deserved recognition and I will work hard to reach as many people as possible.”