A sculptor of faith and time

KOCHI: V  Mohanan, aged 57, is a passionate sculptor. He realised his love for sculpture at the age of 13 and took sculpting as a profession at the age of 16. The entrance of his small house at Muttathara embrace the visitors with a sculpture of Lord Ganapathy. “I began the work on the sculpture in 2010 and it took me seven years to finish it,” says Mohanan.

The eight-feet-long sculpture is carved on ‘Kumbil wood’ (Gmelina arborea) at a making cost of Rs 8.5 lakh. Twenty-four dancing postures of Lord Ganapathy has been carved in the base of the sculpture. 
He works eight hours a day. Most of Mohanan’s works include sculptures of Hindu gods. After completion, he sells them to the art and craft shops across the country. Other than the bulk orders for shops, he does carvings on doors and almirah as well. 

The statue of Tirupati Balaji is one of the several works by him. “I started the work of the eight-feet-tall Balaji in 2016. By the time I finished the work in 2017, the client passed away,” said Mohanan.  Though Mohanan learnt to carve on elephant tusks when he was young, he didn’t get to work more on it as the government banned elephant ivory products. According to Mohanan after the ban of sandalwood in 1999, the industry lost its charm. While talking about the young generation who are interested to learn sculpting, he says, “It will take five years to learn sculpting. Not many people are interested to invest five years on learning a profession that cannot provide them with a steady income.”