CHENNAI : Thirty-seven-year-old S Mahalakshmi began learning how to make artefacts out of seashells by chance. She was visiting her mother in Chromepet three years ago when ‘Abraham sir,’ as she calls him, made a visit. He taught and trained women in this skill to make them financially independent, and give them a sense of self worth.
“I took it up because I was excited to learn something new,” says Mahalakshmi. “I didn’t know I would fall in love with it and that it would become such an integral part of my life. I look forward to the time I spend making these lovely decorative pieces that can adorn people’s homes.”Mahalakshmi has displayed her work at several exhibitions held in Chennai. She says it gives her immense pleasure to be able to contribute to the household expenses and share the burden of raising two children in these times of inflation.
“I earn about `5,000-`10,000 a month,” she says proudly. “My husband is a mechanic and a large chunk of whatever he earns goes towards our daughters’ education because we didn’t want them to suffer like us later on. We wanted to give them the best of everything. With my additional income, it has really eased the burden on my husband because it has elevated our lives so much.”
Mahalakshmi’s husband and children are her biggest fan club. They constantly motivate her to find new designs to work and explore. As someone who does not have money to present as gifts at weddings and social gatherings, her work provides a unique and wonderful gift. “People get so many bouquets at weddings, but it is my seashell flowers that they hold on to throughout and that is very special,” she says.
Recounting an incident where her children came home one day wondering what they would give their teachers on Teacher’s Day, she put her mind to work immediately. “My children go to a school which is also attended by a lot of wealthy kids. They all had planned out elaborate gifts for their teachers and my children were fretting over what to give them. I just told them to give me three days and I toiled to give all the teachers flowers made of seashells.
I gave the school principal this large conch that my brother had got for me from Sri Lanka and filled it with seashell flowers made by me. The teachers loved it and the principal has kept my gift in the puja room of the school. My children were extremely happy. That was my biggest prize,” beams Mahalakshmi.
Nature inspires Mahalakshmi’s work.
“I do not have a smartphone. My children call my phone a dabba phone,” she laughs. “I cannot do anything other than making calls. But, one of my friends once showed me a picture of some beautiful flowers and I used that as inspiration and replicated four of those flowers in my work. Like that, I go from time to time to the creek near my house and observe the birds and see which ones I’d like to work on. I notice the shape of their beaks, their colour and even mannerisms so that my work represents it best.”
However, making art out of sea shells can be an expensive affair. Mahalakshmi says she sources her shells from Rameshwaram and they cost between `600-`1,000 per kilogram. Working on this art for hours gives her neck ache and back pain. None of this stops her though because she feels her best is yet to come.
She is currently excited to have been selected to display at an upcoming exhibition organised by the CCI.