The perfect monsoon treat: Sculpturing competition at the beach

There were at least 15 teams, bent over mounds of glistening sand, focused on building the best sand sculptures.

Farah S Kamal September 11, 2012
So, the Urdu proverb about building rait ke mehel (castles of sand) can actually be a lot of fun when done literally! At the sand castle building competition at the Sea View, I had a fantastic time doing so, and came across some spectacular pieces of sand art.



On Sunday, September 9, 2012, the lively people of Karachi displayed their creativity and their love for the sun and sand at the Sea View, Clifton, Karachi, during the second sand castle building contest by Let's Build On (LBoN) organised by a group of young, dynamic art aficionados.



Building sand castles is a fun summer activity for people of all ages. Lucky for Karachiites, we are blessed with lovely sandy beache which make an ideal place for recreational activities and family picnics. Despite the many disturbing things Karachiites faces, like bomb blasts, loadshedding, and killer traffic jams, they are known for using every opportunity they can find to have fun, to the fullest!



The event was lead by LBoN’s associate Dr Zsuzsanna Fajcsak, who, beside organising many other social projects for a better Pakistan, leads a weekly walk called “Walk The Talk with Dr Zsu” at the Sea View beach.

The organisers mentioned that after the first year of the event in 2011, which was a success with great turnover, they decided to make it an yearly event.

I was quite surprised to see how many people had participated in the event. There were at least 15 teams, donning white T-shirts especially made for the event, bent over mounds of glistening sand, focused on building the best sand sculptures they could.



Some were amateurs; others employed professional techniques and tools. At least 250-300 people were watching the sculptors work their magic with undivided attention.

The sand sculpting was going on in a makeshift arena bordered by tape to prevent onlookers from stepping inside. Surprisingly enough, everything went smoothly and the spectators behaved in a very civilised manner.



As a photographer, I preserved all the beautiful sand sculptures I could see, as photographs. Karachi is blessed with some of nature's finest gifts, I thought to myself as I clicked away. We have beaches, fun loving people, great weather and so much more. This event, in particular, was a splendid monsoon treat for outgoing, beach-loving Karachiites.



Muntazir and Nabeel, the two highly motivated brains behind this event, mentioned that this will become a biannual event now. They will soon be starting activities on the beach that will teach children sand sculpting techniques. The young leaders believe that events like this will help raise awareness about keeping the beach clean and encourage healthy and purposeful activities.

In all, I thought that the event was a great, peaceful way of having fun. It served as a positive outlet of self-expression, particularly for the youth of Karachi.

Events like this are an exciting way for families to spend weekend afternoons together.

PHOTOS: FARAH KAMAL

Read more by Farah here.

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WRITTEN BY:
Farah S Kamal An education and development consultant, who is currently leading the iEARN programs in Pakistan. Photography is her hobby and passion and she tweets @fskamal (https://twitter.com/fskamal)
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (10)

Faryal Hasan. | 11 years ago | Reply The pictures are so beautiful and creative. Fantastic!
Bilal | 11 years ago | Reply Amazing photos. My favorite is the last one. These events should be organized on regular basis. Good Job people. Cheers!
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