Masterful micro artist Shashikant Prajapati has scooped up a record for creating the world’s smallest wooden spoon.
The 25-year-old from Bihar, India, carved a spoon measuring just 1.6 mm (0.06 in), breaking the previous record of 2 mm (0.07 in), set by Navratan Prajapati Murtikar (India) in 2022.
To be eligible for this record, the spoon must be a to-scale replica of a standard wooden spoon, meaning it must have a clearly evident bowl and handle.
“Making a spoon from wood is quite easy, but making the world’s smallest wooden spoon is quite a tough job,” Shashikant said.
Although the rules of this record permit the spoon to be constructed from multiple pieces of wood attached together, Shashikant expertly carved his spoon from a single piece of wood, using a craft knife and a surgical blade.
He practised “a lot” to perfect the technique, carving over 10 iterations of the spoon before successfully making one which was small enough to break the record whilst also meeting the design requirements.
“It was very difficult to make a spoon which is smaller than 2 mm, but after many attempts I was successful,” he said.
Shashikant is “very passionate” about micro art, and he hopes to gain recognition for his artistry by setting world records.
He’s broken the record for the most chain links carved from pencil lead twice in the past – first in 2020 with a total of 126, then again in 2021 with a total of 236. The record now belongs to Kaviyarasan Selvam (India), who incredibly carved 617 lead links earlier this year.
While searching for a different record to attempt, Shashikant came across images of the world’s smallest wooden spoon, a record which has been broken at least once per year since 2019. The record was 7 mm (0.27 in) back then - Shashikant’s spoon is over four times smaller than that!
Shashikant first became interested in making micro art during his first year of college, in 2015. He remembers using a drawing compass to carve a chain from a piece of chalk, developing a keen interest in the art form from then on.
He soon began carving pencil lead, as he says it’s a lot smoother than chalk, thus easier to make art from.
Shashikant devoted himself to his newfound hobby, practising for up to 10 hours per day until he mastered the craft.
Shashikant says the learning process was “quite difficult” because he mostly had to practise carving at night, as he attended college during the day. This, in addition to the fact that he did not have a microscope or magnifying glass, caused significant strain on his eyes.
“I failed so many times while practising,” he revealed. “It also happened that I completed up to 99% of an artwork and then it broke, so I had to start from scratch.”
However, Shashikant persevered through these challenges, and now looks back on those days fondly.
“Nothing is easy in the world,” he said. “If you want to gain something, then you have to work very hard.”
Achieving his first Guinness World Records title in 2020 was a childhood dream come true for Shashikant, and he’s equally ecstatic to be a record holder once again.
“It gives me the strength to do more such works,” he said, and he hopes his achievement motivates others to follow their own passions in life.
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