KOCHI: A man riding a bullock cart, getting the farmland ready for another season, a white crane flying across the blue sky, three men fishing on the side — this may be a common sight in any picturesque village. Now, imagine if we could get to see the past and bygone lives of any village? Sanoj K P hailing from the Wayanad district is on a mission to revive age-old traditions and familiarise the city-bred younger generation with the past. He is doing so with 14 bamboo dolls, all doing their respective chores at the same time.
This visual treat is set on a bamboo platform surrounding a water wheel. When water falls and trickles down the wheel, the turbine starts rolling, making the 14 dolls move at the same time. A few years back, Sanoj created a water wheel for the pond in his house. This marked the beginning of his quest with water wheels. “Our house is located near a stream. A pipe was connected directly to the pond and the water kept reflowing. The baby fishes tend to flow back to the stream through the pipe attached. To avoid that I decided to set a water wheel, but wasn’t successful,” says Sanoj.
During his second attempt, he kept the water wheel on a platform a few meters above the ground. “This didn’t just keep the fishes in the pond, but also served as an aeration technique, maintaining the oxygen level of the water. When the water flows from the pipe and hits the wheel’s leaves and goes to the pond, bubbles are formed continuously,” adds Sanoj.
To level up his bland bamboo water wheel, Sanoj decided to place a bamboo human figure on top, much like old times when people used to get the water wheel turning using their feet. The number of figures increased to eight and then 14.
In his tiny world, three figurines fish in three different ways. One with an arrow, the other one with a fishing rod, and a basket. To the side, another figure is busy making chutney on a stone grinder. Another man is slicing a log in half with an axe. “In olden times people used to carry water in wooden buckets on both sides of a stick, I have installed that as well,” adds Sanoj.
A wire passing through the centre of the turbine connects the figurines. “So when water falls onto the wheel, it’ll rotate, making all the figures do their respective chores at the same time,” he says.
Sanoj did all the work himself. It took him 15 days to finish the portable ensemble. “I am a daily wage construction worker. I worked all night to finish this model,” he says. His creation has caught the attention of many. The recent model was contributed to the park in Puthuppadi, Kozhikode.
Intrigued by art and craft since childhood, Sanoj also makes stunning crafts that can be used as decor pieces and put to use — coconut shell lamp with a peacock figurine, hanging lamps, crockeries, toys and whatnot.
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