KOCHI: “Most households in south India make use of coconuts. So why not make something out the shells instead of discarding them and polluting the environment,” says Ananda Perumal, a bank employee-turned-coconut shell artist whose passion for making eco-friendly items encouraged him to pursue the craft. His coconut shell sculptures and jewellery are currently on display at ‘Suchithwa Sangamam’ being held at Sooryakanthi Grounds, Thiruvananthapuram, organised by Haritha Keralam Mission, Local Self-Government department and Suchitwa Mission.
All the products that Ananda makes right from utility items such as cups, spoons and bowls to accessories like earrings, decompose once discarded. Ananda, who runs Kavin Art Gallery in Tirunelveli, has been making coconut shell artworks for more than eight years now. “Coconuts are readily available in India, they can be upcycled into very useful products. Compared to foreign countries, eco-friendly materials are yet to catch up in India. It could be because of a lack of awareness about such products,” says Ananda. Besides selling coconut shell art through Kavin, this artist has also been conducting workshops across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to teach and popularise the craft among the public.
Ananda says that working with coconut shell is very difficult. “The material is very delicate and one cannot predict how a product will come out at the end. Cracks might develop while sculpting and one might have to start from the beginning,” he says. Ananda carves out intricate designs using a tool used by goldsmiths. To avoid the use of plastic nameplates, he has also introduced ones carved out in coconut shells.
Ananda has been organising live demonstrations of how various products can be made using this eco-friendly material. He is currently working on carving a portrait of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on coconut shell which he plans to gift the CM on Wednesday, the concluding day of the expo on the alternatives for single-use plastic. He has also come up with decor for many eco-friendly weddings using up cycled materials such as clay and tree branches. This is the first time he is conducting an exhibition of his coconut shell products in Kerala.