Wayanad (Kerala) | In the lush paddy fields of the hill district of Wayanad, a farmer has turned his land into a vast living artwork. Although it was meant to mark Narendra Modi's 75th birthday on September 17, Thayyil Praseed's striking portrait of the prime minister took shape only later -- grown from rice plants of different colours.
For more than a decade, Praseed, a farmer from Sulthan Bathery, has been blending agriculture and art.
His latest creation is carefully planted with five varieties of rice, including the deep violet Kalabathi, the pale lavender Dabar Shala and the vivid green Krustakoumod.
The picture was prepared at the Nambiar Kolli paddy field with the help of artist Prasad Bathery. The field is 40 metres long and 30 metres wide.
The process began on August 31, when 105 varieties of coloured rice were sown. From them, the seedlings needed for the portrait were painstakingly transplanted in precise spots to bring the image to life.
Within 20 days, the outlines of Modi's face began to appear, visible from above like a giant painting spread across the fields.
The setting adds a layer of political irony too. Wayanad is a Congress stronghold, now represented in parliament by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after her brother Rahul Gandhi gave up the seat.
Praseed said this is the 11th piece of "paddy art".
He first experimented with it by planting a map of India in his fields.
Since then, he has gone on to depict the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mecca and Medina, love birds, an Onam floral carpet, Garuda, Swami Vivekananda and even Guruvayur Kesavan, the legendary temple elephant.
Last year, his creation was of Adiyogi, the Hindu spiritual figure.
Praseed's work has not only drawn admirers but also led to the creation of a rice museum in Bathery, where he has collected more than 350 varieties of rice from across India, preserving many traditional strains.
In 2023, he was recognised with the National Plant Genome Award for best farmer.
For Praseed, the art is both a celebration and a calling.
"Every time more people support my work, it inspires me to keep going," he says.
"It's not just about farming -- it's about showing what the land itself can create," Praseed adds.