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| Prathap, Thottam, Ambalathara, Poonthura P O, Thiruvanthapuram-26 E-mail: rahulcrafts@gmail.com Phone: 09349743311 |
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A veteran
of coconut husk-carving for over 40 years, Prathap of Thottam,
Ambalathara, Poonthura P O, Thiruvanthapuram has been honoured by at least two
national awards and recognised by the discerning eyes of buyers among whom are many
foreigners.
He started
his quest with the carving of a monkey.
He admits it was quite crude. But
he persisted with the chisel and slowly mastered the art. In the bargain, he perfected some of the
tools for carving also. The prospective
buyers and connoisseurs are awe-struck by some of his creations.
For
example, once he visited the Handicrafts Development commissioner’s
office in Bengaluru. The officer asked
him to unwrap the work. As he showed his
creation of Ganapathy made from 30 coconut husks, the officer was flabbergasted. He immediately asked all the staff in that six-story
building to come and see the handicraft.
All of them were in wonder at his craftmanship.
His creations include monkey faces, Buddha busts, plant
holders, Kathakali figures, elephants, dog heads and frames for clocks. He
recollects that an old lady used to be a regular customer of his. When she built a house nearby, she invited
him to visit it. And in the prayer room
of that house, he saw his Buddha statue and dog head. It was a fulfilling moment in his creative
career.
He has been teaching the art to the youth under various
Government schemes.
Gautam S
(text), The New Indian Express, Oct 13, 2020
