MADIKERI: He is retired, but not tired. An ex-serviceman J C Balakrishna of Kudige village in Somwarpet taluk has been carving out wonders by putting his free time to good use. And to come up with a range of decorative products, all it takes for him is a creative mind and a coconut. Balakrishna expresses his creativity through the handicrafts made out of coconut husk and shell, and his creations leave one and all amazed.
“After my retirement in 1997, I developed a passion for sculpting different figures from the coconut shell and husk and painting them. The passion has now turned into a medium through which I express my love for art,” says Balakrishna. He has so far carved and painted more than 1,500 tender coconuts for his friends, family members and others impressed by his artwork. He does it during his leisure time and never takes money in return.
“Those who want to get a sculpture done give me coconut shells and tell me the shape they want. Usually, it takes a day to prepare Ganesha, Shivalinga, bird and other smaller creations. They are then dried for 5-6 days. Water colour is used for painting purpose. I do it for my passion and not for commercial purposes. Words of praise for my art encourage me to carve more coconuts,” says 56-year-old Balakrishna.
His artwork adorns several houses in Mangaluru, Hassan, Mysuru and Bengaluru. “I took 8-10 sculptures of Ganesha and Shivalinga from him for free and gifted them to relatives. They all loved them,” says Linge Gowda, a resident of Periyapatna and friend of Balakrishna.
“With the district attracting more tourists these days, Balakrishna can easily earn good money if he wishes to sell his creations. Such artworks are much in demand in cities and foreign countries. His decision to provide his artwork for free is praiseworthy,” he adds. According to Balakrishna, he must have distributed about 1,500 creations for free till date. “Maximum demand is for Ganesha sculptures,” he says.
And how did it all begin? “One day, I was sitting at my xerox shop in Kudige. I saw a dried coconut lying nearby and tried to give it the shape of a trunk using a hacksaw blade. To my surprise, it took the shape of Lord Ganesha and was looking attractive. I kept it at my shop and it started attracting every customer. When I painted it with Fevicryl, it looked more beautiful, and subsequently customers started requesting me to carve such creations for them as well. And that’s how I became a perfect artist by myself,” quips Balakrishna.
The artist stays with his wife Varija, and the couple have a son Sachin (24) who is studying chartered accountancy in Mysuru. Post-retirement, he has been working as a security person at Periyapatna BSNL office.
When not guarding the BSNL office, he can be found at his shop either attending to customers or engrossed in carving small wonders. But how does he manage to do so much at this age ? To this, he replies: “That is what passion is all about.”
Lucky Ganesha
Balakrishna was pleasantly surprised when he received a call from one of his friends in Andhra Pradesh, a few years back saying that the Ganesha brought luck for his family. “He did not share much details but had called just to thank me. A few others have also told me that my creations changed their fortunes. Out of faith, many people decorate my Ganesha with flowers and jewellery, and they send photographs to me,” he says.