Nandakumar Elavally was just 10 when he carved a small Ayyappa idol out of wood. The idol was installed at the Thirunavaya Navamukunda temple in Kerala’s Malappuram district. Since then Nandan, as he is known, has been busy working round the clock carving idols of deities— both Hindu and Christian. An every idol is installed at various places of worship in and out of Kerala.
The second child of Elavally Narayana Achari, a famous daru (wood) sculptor from Guruvayur, Nandan is among a few artistes who has dedicated his life to traditional wood carving.
“I had an innate knack for sculpting,” he says. “As a kid, I would sit with my father for hours, observing the way he works. It was interesting to watch his facial expressions which I would then mimic.” He studied till the 10th standard. Nandan’s transition from a curious kid to a hard-working daru sculptor had begun thereafter.
“My father is my first and last guru,” says Nandan. “Ours is an Asaari family, of which the traditional occupation is wood carving, to produce furniture and other utilities. But my father concentrated on the art of sculpting and my brothers and I have done the same. My father was called the ‘Second Perunthachan’ by the art-loving people of Kerala and years later I was recognised as ‘The Modern Perunthachan’ by well-known writer M T Vasudevan Nair. I consider it the best complement.” The word, thachan means a master craftsman. It was a honorific title used in Kerala many centuries ago.
Though Nandan’s work adorns the sanctum sanctorums, doors and the walls of many temples, it was his art at the Guruvayoor temple that made him famous. He adds, “My father was the one who led the renovation of the wood sculptures at the temple after the earlier ones perished in a fire in 1970,” he says. “Later, I got an opportunity in the 1990s to reconstruct some of the damaged works.”
A dragon structure as well as the sculpture of Arjuna receiving Pashupathasthra, as seen on the roof in front of the sanctum sanctorum were reconstructed. Ashtalakshmi and various expressions of Lord Vishnu are also depicted on the doors.
Apart from temples, such as Kolloor Mookambika, Sreekrishna Temple at Guruvayur, Anthimahakalan Kavu and the like, Nandan has also done works at cultural centres such as the Thirur Thunjan Parambu. A wooden replica of the Elephant king Guruvayur Padmanabhan, carved out of jack fruit wood by Nandan, adorns the living room of one of his friends at Guruvayur. Nandan has also worked for a few churches in Thrissur district.
Though many modern artisans have still not accepted traditional wood carving as an art form, Nandan believes that only skilled hands can produce elegant daru sculptures even though the style followed is traditional in nature. “Modern artisans say that there is a dearth of creativity in the traditional wood carving style,” says Nandan. “But I believe that it is the narrow standards and definitions of creativity which are deep-rooted in the minds of modern artists which make them comment so frivolously.”
Nandan’s brothers, Sankaranarayanan, Jayanthan and Ranjan, are also experts in daru sculpture-making. His sister Sreelaja is a painter.
Nandan stays at Elavally, near Guruvayur, with wife Swetha, son Naveen, and daughter Navya, and teaches students the art of traditional daru sculpturing at his workshop.