CHENNAI: Dressed in a grey kurta and white dhoti, and sandal paste on his forehead, Padma Shri recipient VK Munusamy, a traditional terracotta artisan greets us with a broad smile at Mantra Gold Coatings Pvt. Ltd’s corporate office. His eyes display a sense of pride in his art, which he has been practising for 40 years. He is the 22nd generation in his family to follow this legacy and to promote this, Munusamy was in the city to build a 4-foot tall terracotta Ganesha sculpture at Mantra’s office on Friday.
For the sculpture, Munusamy sourced the clay from the Sankaraparani river in his hometown, Villianur village, Puducherry, which he says is enriched in aluminum, copper and iron. A total of 500 kg of clay and a bucket of water were used in the making of the Ganesha sculpture. Starting with 15 bricks as a base, a wooden stalk for support, and rods to shape the idol, it took him around seven hours to complete the idol. Assisting him were students of the Government College of Fine Arts, Egmore. “The technique used here is traditional and requires a lesser number of source materials. The way he flows his hands in shaping the eyes, ears, and foot, shows his expertise in the field,” said Kamalesh, a student.
As an artist you travel around to see works done by other artists, get inspired from other forms of art, and improvise on your techniques and skills by exploring other forms. Such is the inspiration behind the making of this sculpture. “Since I am a traditional practitioner, the inspiration behind today’s making of the idol is how human lives have been shaped over the years — from caves to huts and now villas. When human beings lived in caves they used mud or clay to protect their food from ants and other predators. They formed shapes and sealed their food inside. Today’s Ganesha will also be something similar,” said Munusamy.
He pointed out that the art form is not as widely practiced as it used to be. To encourage the practice and develop the art form, he suggested that camps be held in villages to teach the youth and make them employable. He believes, based on his experience, that women are more efficient than men in this artwork. True to his belief, a mother and daughter worked beside him making a 4-cm tall Ganesha with clay.
With the vision to promote more women artisans in their field of work, the Mantra group, specialising in handicrafts, home decor, gifts, and plating services, is setting up a design and innovation centre where artists can come to teach their craft to women and they, in turn, practice it and spread it to thousands more. The Ganesha idol is open for public display until September 19.
“There are more than 80 idols that will be kept at the exhibition. All of them are handmade by artisans across time and geographical locations; mostly made up of brass and copper,” said Pankaj Bhandari, co-founder of Mantra Gold Covering Pvt. Ltd. The team plans to have an immersion of the terracotta Ganesha after five days.
PROMOTING ARTS
With the vision to promote more women artisans in their field of work, the Mantra group, specialising in handicrafts, home decor, gifts, and plating services, is setting up a design and innovation centre where artists can come to teach their craft to women and they, in turn, practice it and spread it to thousands more.