ALAPPUZHA: Spearheading the design and construction of buildings involves unique skill sets and talent. This is all the more so for cutting-edge creations that both turn back the clock and sometimes are futuristically avant-garde and those that fuse traditional and modern elements.
With the credit of having delivered nearly 25 churches in Kerala and other states to his name, Shine Joseph, from Champakulam, Kuttanad, is a man who embodies the talent and drive to come up with experimental and distinctive creations. Twenty years on, he is still highly sought after, and that is creditable considering that he is not even a trained architect.
“I don’t know when the passion to design churches gripped me,” says Shine. “I have a civil draughtsman diploma. I started my career preparing plans of houses in and around Champakulam in 1993. Later, I started to design houses and undertake contracts for their construction. In 2004, the authorities of Manapra St Joseph Church approached me and asked me to design a chapel. I constructed the chapel in one and a half years. This gave me the confidence to start designing churches. It was the beginning of a new innings,” he recounts.
“I proceeded to focus on designing churches. I studied construction stylebooks and churches in and around Alappuzha. My latest creation was consecrated in Koilmukku near Edathua last month,” he said.
“Most churches adopt either Roman or Gothic architecture. The art and engravings also stay true to the styles. As demand increased, I assembled a team of artists and masons who specialise in the construction of churches. They give me the courage to undertake contracts for churches that cover 10,000 sqft or more of the area and are 70ft high. The dome is the most complex element in constructing churches,” adds Shine.
The 50-year-old has built around 13 churches in Kuttanad. Since the 2018 flood, he places special emphasis on designs that can survive a deluge. The Koilmukku church was constructed over two storeys with the ground level used for office purposes and parking. The upper deck houses the actual church and a hall.
Increased threat of waterlogging is forcing a rethink in design, says Shine. Reconstruction of the Kokkamangalam St Thomas Church, in Cherthala, believed to have been established by St Thomas was especially difficult, he said.
Purakkad Mar Sleeva Church, Kollam St Thomas Church, Vizhinjam St Peter’s Church, Chittar St George Church; Christuraja Church in Tamil Nadu’s Parekode: Holy Family Church in Chandigarh’s Nabhashabib are some of the other major churches constructed by Shine. His wife Sini helps him execute projects. Daughters Neha, Niya and Nivya are students.