KOCHI: Christmas was near and a heavily pregnant Lavanya was stuck at home. She was out of craft supplies and badly wanted to make a Christmas gift for her husband Mahesh. And thus was born the newspaper doll.
“All I had was a few newspapers lying around. And paint and Fevicol. So I worked on it and created this doll. It took hours and a lot of trial and error to get it right,” recalls Lavanya Kannan, an aviation, grooming, and personality development trainer in Thiruvananthapuram. Her newspaper doll recently helped her bag the ‘Best Woman Gollu Doll Maker’ award organised by the Shilpakarman Institute of Handicrafts & Design in 2020.
In front of her newspaper dolls, the plasticky and store-bought dolls will pale in comparison. “The newspaper doll is sustainable, eco-friendly and it costs just under Rs 20 to make it! But need a lot of patience, hard work, and concentration,” says Lavanya. And it isn’t just newspaper dolls that she creates.
A peek into Lavanya’s artsy world will reveal old traditional art such as Surpur miniature art, Saura tribal painting, Aipan art, and adaptations of Maori tattoos. Lavanya believes that a lot of old art forms are becoming extinct and not reaching the audience. “I want to share the knowledge with as many artists as possible and be a part of ensuring that these arts do not die into oblivion.”
As a little girl, Lavanya used to accompany her sister Sharanya when she went to learn craft making. Enamoured by the world of colours and crafty paraphernalia, Lavanya got hooked on the world of art. And years later, Lavanya has diversified into several traditional art forms, bringing rare and lost art to the fore with elan.
“I grew up seeing my sister and mother create art. So it influenced me and I always wanted to do something different. I loved spending time making stuff and that got me into the world of art,” recalls Lavanya. Forever smitten by flying, Lavanya started as a cabin crew in Air India Express. But she would always have her small sketchbook and a few pencils with her, even when she went flying. “They were my companions in my journey. And I would sketch whenever I got time,” she says. Her love for art also saw her majoring in fashion designing.
Born in Coimbatore, Lavanya relocated to Thiruvanathapuram a few years ago. “An artist will tell you that Trivandrum is a city of art. There is art everywhere,” she says. An expert level art and craft trainer at Pidilite-Fevicryl, Lavanya takes craft sessions for students aged from six years to 60.
“Art is now limited to abstract and acrylic. There is a whole other world out there, traditional arts that are on the verge of extinction. Many are all familiar with Warli paintings. Not many are aware of Saura tribal art, which is visually similar to Warli. And there is Surpur miniature art, one of the finest miniature art forms in the world. It is also facing extinction. We need to bring all these art styles back into the milieu,” says Lavanya.
According to Lavanya art is a way of expressing oneself and more people should take up art and craft. “You can learn a lot about yourself from the art you create. You can find out about me from my art. The colour combination, the hard work, patience, everything can be experienced from one’s work. After a long, tiring day, nothing lifts your mood like art. It’s refreshing and makes you forget everything,” she says.