CHENNAI: Diligently moving her hands and interweaving the reed straws to make baskets and boxes, Geethangani Perera, one of the Sri Lankan artisans at the recently concluded Dastakari Haat, Kalakshetra, grabbed eyeballs. Joining hands with ‘Hands of Sri Lanka’, headed by Buddhi Keerisena, former chairperson of the Sri Lanka Crafts Council, the exhibition showcased the works of nine artisans which included embroidery paintings, wooden masks, reed baskets, handloom textiles, educational toys, cane work and the traditional wooden elephants.
With the cultural connections between Indian and Sri Lanka dating back to several centuries, Senaka opines that the interaction between craftsmen from India opened new doors to designs and techniques. “This has been a two-way process. We share the knowledge we have and they share theirs. Together this can make a whole new product!” he claims, as he carefully paints a wooden elephant made by a Jaipur-based craftsman. “Since we have different cultures and heritage background, the interpretation of designs is different. But infusing our design in an Indian work and vice-versa, we are opening something global for the handicrafts/handloom industry.”
Walking us along different stalls, Senaka rues that there aren’t many takers for certain crafts like the art of traditional embroidery paintings. “There are only a very few who do this,” he says. “It’s easy to misinterpret it for a painting. Every piece has been hand embroidered,” he adds, and we talk to the woman behind the works — Jayanthi. “Each piece takes four days to complete. From 6am to 6pm, I do it. This has been a successful venture,” shares Jayanthi pointing to the pillows on which the same technique has been incorporated. “She had to go to museums to study the art and remake them for the contemporary market,” explains Senaka.
“I make cushions, clutches and other decors using Laces from Belgium, which were introduced by the Dutch in Lanka. Who otherwise uses laces if we don’t do them on contemporary products like these?” asks Kanthi Latha, as she picks up a clutch. “Women prefer such clutches and it creates a style statement.”
Browsing through the other stalls by the craftsmen, we meet a 51-year-old who specialises in painting wooden elephants. “I have been doing this since I was 6. The elephants are very famous in Lanka and we paint them in vivid designs. It’s more like a souvenir and is a huge hit among tourists,” he smiles.
While we were admiring an array of wooden masks painted in vibrant colours, Nishanth, the maker of these masks, says. “In Sri Lanka, these are therapeutic masks, which people wear and dance in the process of healing. They are very traditional and in a few parts, people still use them…but otherwise, they are only for decoration.”
From good luck charms in the form of bamboo ships to educational wooden toys, from the classic tuk tuks to modern key chains, the makers have opened up their traditional art work to suit the contemporary taste. Though, there are shortcomings in the finish of the products, the charm of a handmade product never loses its shine.