Saying it with beads and stones
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Aesthetics is the mainstay of the figures that Seshadrinath has carved and adorned.
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Photo:R.Shivaji Rao
Passion for the craft: R. Seshadrinath with his creations.
A retired school principal and teacher turned deity decorator, Seshadrinath’s life today revolves round his artistic pursuit. “I sleep for about two hours a day. Not just adorning idols, literature is also my line,” says the septuag
enarian, for whom writing poems is another passion.
His first brush with craft was when as principal he worked on thermocole to make a replica of the Taj Mahal for a school project. “I was a great admirer of Thanu, the cartoonist, but it was much later that I realised I had an artistic streak in me,” says the self-taught craftsman.
Since his retirement from service, for about 14 years now, the passion for adorning idols has made him a workaholic, almost. “The best part is every other activity makes me physically weary in a matter of minutes. But I can go on for hours on end with stones and beads,” he laughs.
How it began
It all began with his meeting with a religious head, Seetharama Swamigal, who requested him to visit Thirumalai Vaiyavur Temple, near Vedanthangal. Seshadrinath believes that after the incident his creativity converged more towards making and beautifying of deities.
Initially, carving out the figure from thermacole, he used cloth, zari and beads to beautify the pieces. But as thermocole gives way after a few years he began testing other raw materials for his base. Today he has quite a few choices — ceramic, papier mache, plaster of Paris and plastic — which are lasting and worth the strain. Not to forget scented and sandalwood soaps he uses for carving miniatures of elephants and the like.
He began with the figure of Lord Srinivasa. The process then involved the use of beads of various colours. Agglutinating them artistically to create the dress and jewellery was a minute exercise in aesthetics. Today Seshadrinath’s authentic representations of idols have multi-hued stones sparkling all over them.
A doctor from Tiruchi wanted diamonds set on the figurine he was to make for her. “The cost is immaterial,” she had said. “But the jeweller whom we visited for the purpose warned her that it could be a risky proposition and suggested using ordinary stones instead. It was then that I decided I would switch over to stones. The effect has been remarkable,” he says.
Raw materials
Seshadrinath shops for the raw materials himself. “Mohammad Ali is the person who supplies the stones. He gives me the best. The rest is available at George Town. Even today, when I need materials I go in the morning and keep picking up things till 10 in the night, oblivious to the hours passing by,” he smiles.
Mostly it is plastic moulds that come in handy. With the help of a candle he heats up and culls out the redundant parts of the mould to make room for the decoration, which is identical to the specific deity in the temple.
Devotees keep contacting him (Ph: 044-22432980; 9841941293 seshadrimay1@rediffmail.com
) for Gods of their choice. Each medium-sized deity takes a month to be completed and the little time he gets between one order and another, Seshadri utilises to get earrings and neckpieces ready. As he shows you his neatly kept tray of essentials, he points out to a tiny, rolled up sheet of sola pith. He pastes stones on them and with a blade cuts them into fine pieces of earrings and pendants. “See the whetstone here. I use it constantly to sharpen the blade. Even goldsmiths who have seen my pieces of ‘jewellery’ are surprised at the intricate patterns I’ve used,” he says. “And this is to sift and separate the various sizes of stones that get mixed up,” he points out to a small, white metallic sieve!
Over the years Seshadrinath has made innumerable pieces that have been a sell out. But the huge images of Lord Srinivasa and His Consort at a home in Tambaram are his crowning glory! “You must visit the place at least once,” he requests.
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