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| Vijayan, Anantha Padmanabha temple, Thiruvananthapuram |
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For the last 3 decades, Vijayan has devoted his life to carving exquisite wooden idols. A small room near the eastern entrance of the Anantha Padmanabha temple, Thiruvananthapuram, is his studio where he produces idols of gods and goddesses in teak, rosewood and sandalwood.
The main idols he carves are that of Lord Krishna, Siva, Nataraja, Ganapathy and Parvathy. “The more the concentration, the better would be the idol,” he says.
Carving is a delicate 4 fold process of cutting, carving, facing and polishing in which he is assisted by 4 skilled artistes.
Vijayan learned the art from his father, who too was an accomplished artiste. He has stuck to tradition and finds that the customers for his art are dwindling. “Previously there was a heavy demand for idols, but now the materials are scarce and the suppliers are reluctant to give them,” he says. He gets the wood for his work either from the SMSM Institute or the Forest Department.
“It is my deep love and devotion for my father that keeps me going. But none of my children are ready to enter this field,” he says.
He thus goes on, prepared to eke out a living till the end.
Vijayan with the idols
Courtesy: N.V.Vijayakumar, The New Indian Express, March 29, 2003
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