Palliparambil Mathew Varghese finds art in every shell

KOCHI: Walking to the small single-storeyed house in Mamangalam, Kochi, one sees a simple man sitting on the floor of the small porch in front. In contrast to the image one had in mind, the man in question is Palliparambil Mathew Varghese. The 75-year-old works his hacksaw blade with the ease and precision of an expert. Not seeming to notice the intrusion, he is deeply engrossed in his work cutting coconut shells. Varghese is one of the oldest people in Kochi to make handcrafted showpieces out of coconut shells. His recent works - including a life-size Nativity crib and his re-creation of Adam and Eve - has increased his popularity locally.

Presently, Varghese is working on home decor pieces, in which shells are cut in floral shapes. “It is tedious work. One needs to be careful while cutting the shells. You need to give it the right amount of pressure because the shells aren’t that hard and might break. And then you’ll have to start the process all over again,” he says. On the side is an unfinished work, which will soon be a diplodocus dinosaur. “I read about someone attempting to create such a dinosaur and thought ‘Why not?’,” Varghese laughs through his dentures. 

Just walking into the drawing/dining room of the small house takes one’s breath away with the sheer amount of artworks. The showcase in the room is an Animal Planet, except all of them are made out of coconut shells. Mounted on the wall is a niche with the figurines of the crucified Christ and Mother Mary, and photo frames - both made out of coconut shells. 

Varghese’s tryst with coconut shells began over 10 years ago. “I was a daily wage construction worker for many years. After I stopped working, I wanted to do something that will keep me busy throughout the day,” he says. His first artwork was a wine ‘glass’. Each artwork requires over five coconuts worth shells and hours over 20. A neighbour provides him with coconut shells. Though his house is hoarded with many such artworks, Varghese is not too keen on selling his products. “I put in a lot of effort to cut the shells and put them together. Earlier, I used to sell my artworks, but then people began bargaining which I felt degraded the art,” he says.