85-Year-Old Muslim Artist Carves Hindu Gods on Living Trees

At 85 years old, Ishtiaq Ali is doing something remarkable in Lucknow, India. He's carving detailed sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses directly onto living trees, and the trees stay healthy and unharmed.

Ali's path to becoming an artist wasn't easy. He grew up in deep poverty with his six siblings, working as a daily wage laborer in Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh just to survive. For years, he carved idols in his spare time, but nobody seemed to care.

When he brought his handmade sculptures home, his wife told him to throw them in the Gomti River. "This will not run the household," she said. There was no market for his work, no one asking about his art.

Everything changed about 10 to 15 years ago when Ali began focusing on his craft more seriously. His hands, worn from decades of manual labor, found new purpose in shaping wood into sacred figures. He pays careful attention to every detail: faces, hands, feet, jewelry, and clothing.

His current project shows his unusual method. Ali is carving Lord Ganesha directly onto a living tree in Kakori. Videos of his work have gone viral on social media, showing not just his skill but his deep understanding of Hindu religious traditions.

Ali explains that he always saves one part for last: the eyes. "Until the eyes are made, the idol does not have life," he says. "Until then, it is only a statue, not the form of God." His hands tremble slightly when he completes the eyes because he knows the sculpture has transformed into something sacred.

Sunny's Take

What makes Ali's story especially moving is his interfaith devotion. As a Muslim artist who carves Hindu deities, he speaks knowledgeably about religious details like the meaning of Ganesha's trunk direction. Left-facing trunks bring peace and balance for homes, while right-facing trunks represent power and are better suited for temples.

He once made a five-inch Ganesha for a Muslim man who wanted to keep it in his home. The exchange shows how Ali's art bridges communities. "When I sleep, I see Devi-Devtas," he has said, describing how Hindu gods and goddesses appear in his dreams.

His work has even transformed his neighborhood. A spot where people once dumped garbage is now respected and kept clean because Ali carved a religious image on a tree there. The sacred sculpture changed how people treat the space.

The same idols his wife once dismissed now receive attention across India. Ali's hands may shake with age, but they continue creating beauty that brings people together across religious lines.