BENGALURU: Precision and patience are two key virtues that a paper cutting artwork demands. For 32-year-old Pooja Ajmera, an MBA student, her passion for cutting accurate portraits on paper drove her insane, she confesses. Pooja’s Facebook's page that goes by the name Teekhi Chhurii - Handcut paper art, meaning ‘sharp knife’ implies that her paper cut portraits and artworks are extrememly precise and on-point.
“I started paper cutting in 2012 and I loved doing it. I started with Teekhii Chhurii in January 2013. I always had an interest in arts and crafts and since it was my sister-in-law's birthday, who was also interested in arts, I thought of making something unique for her birthday.” says Pooja.
She came across paper cutting while browsing through blogs. “But I had no idea how to go about it,” she says.
She bought the tools for it and made her first paper cut soon after. Paper cutting requires one to have a knife and paper and you are good to go.
Pooja who presently lives in Dubai loves to travel and in her free time works on paper cutting artworks. She has also been in the city to conduct workshops and states that most of her customers are from Bengaluru.
“I am based in Dubai now but prior to that, I was in Mumbai. I have visited Bengaluru to conduct paper cutting workshops and they were fabulous. It was so good to meet so many new people who were eager to learn this art form. I taught them everything I know, from how to hold the knife to making a paper cut.”
Pooja calls it a “very successful trip” as about twenty five people attended the workshop.
People find Pooja's artwork through Facebook and sometimes on Instagram. “They look up my work on these sites and if they have any queries I happily assist them.”
When asked about the difficulties that she is facing in maintaing the business, she says, “It is a big challenge to reach out to people as I am single handedly managing everything from designing to discussion with clients, from cutting to packing to courier.”
Pooja feels it is a bit difficult to handle everything without a team. “I have been handling social media, answering queries and speaking to people all at the same time. But slowly I am getting a hang of it and learning how to manage things.”
The artworks can be made with several kinds of paper such as chart paper and newspaper. The only exception is the handmade paper as it has fibres and it makes sharp cuts difficult, states Pooja.
Her paper cutting has received rather interesting responses in Dubai. “New cities pose new challenges. It will take a while for me to establish the brand here and make people understand what kind of art form this is,” says Pooja.
knife invites the possibility of accidents and hence Pooja has also had a share of some. She has one advice for people trying to establish their creations online, “Quality work and consistency is the key. I wouldn't say I know it all in paper cutting as there are so many things you can do with it. So you have to just keep practising to get better.”