Shell stoked

KOCHI: Picture this - as many as 1,300 meticulously sculpted, tiny square fragments of coconut shells coming together to form a miniature model of a school. Now, imagine a jackfruit tree bearing fruit, the tiny, coarse spines of the tropical fruit sculpted to perfection, also using coconut shells. At the abode of CI Skaria’s home, a 64-year-old auto driver, one can see over 40 such statuettes. This seasoned artist can fashion just anything out of coconut shells, and so perfectly!

Skaria who is fondly called Thankachan has been an auto-rickshaw driver for over 14 years. Now, people know him as an impeccable artist who churns out wonderous pieces of art from discarded coconut shells.
Art has made sense to him since he was a kid. During the previous lockdown, his autorickshaw was confiscated while plying for a medical emergency sans an affidavit. For over 20 days, his only means of livelihood was in police custody. 

During this time, Thankachan was at home, looking through YouTube videos and he chanced upon artefacts being made out of coconut shells. “I always enjoyed art and craft, but never really created anything. When I was young I used to draw. Making art from coconut shells intrigued me. At the time, I also had a lot of time in my hand so I decided to give it a try,” recalls Thankachan. 

At first, he tried his hand at a crockery piece. When that became a success, Thankachan decided to challenge himself and make a nest with a mother bird feeding her youngling. “Getting the detail right is the hardest part. Chiselling and cutting it out to get the lines and shapes right is challenging. When that worked out, I became confident,” he says.

Over time, Thankachan has become a natural in handling coconut shells. In his shed, there is a whole other world to explore - aeroplanes, animals (Indian giant squirrels, ducks, rabbits,  and scorpions), remnants and artefacts from the old Kerala household (kindi and lanterns), houseboats and whatnot! Each work roughly takes two weeks to complete.

“I have to keep riding my auto as well. I sculpt after I finish work,” says Thankachan. Interestingly, though people offer to buy the pieces from him, Thankachan doesn’t intend to make more than one piece of a particular piece. “I am creating these for myself. I don’t intend to make money out of it. It brings me happiness and that’s all I am looking for,” says Thankachan.