A look back in history reveals many a heritage that occupied a significant place in the lifestyle and culture of people. While a substantial portion of this heritage has been lost, either because the craftsmanship involved lost its relevance in modern lifestyles or because not many are willing to pursue the traditional arts and crafts, the fact remains that what has been washed out is an expertise that is hard to revive.
The land of the Chettiars, Karaikudi is not any different, breathing as it does, heritage in every sphere, some of this still prevailing, though featuring as abandoned craft or as ruins that speak of a glorious past. Sensing this loss and the urgent need to alter the scenario was septuagenarian Visalakshi Ramaswamy. The M. Rm. Rm. Cultural Foundation, founded by her in the year 2000 with the sole purpose of reviving the lost Chettinad heritage, has made tremendous inroads in this sphere over the last two decades.
The Foundation, under her stewardship, has successfully worked with local people and revived the lost Kottan tradition which refers to baskets woven from palmyra leaves, the dying art of making the handmade Athangudi floor tiles, the almost extinct technique of lime plaster that Chettinad is famous for, and the equally disappearing art of weaving the famous Chettinad Kandanghi saris.
Interestingly Visalakshi has also worked as an interior designer, including coming up with the architecture of her own residence even though she is not a designer by education. “It is instinctive”, she says, referring to her innate skill and passion for design. The designs for the Kandanghi saris incidentally originate from the pencil sketches she comes up with effortlessly.
Trainer
The Kottans are traditionally woven by women and it was not easy when Visalakshi set about reviving this lost craft. “We had to locate a trainer as the craft had almost become non-existent. We finally found Kannamai Aachi, an octogenarian, who lived in a village that was an hour’s drive from the training centre. She was the only woman who had the required knowledge of the craft.” The first group to be trained comprised 10 women, “now we have over 120 women trained and working with us.”
The Foundation currently has six centres across as many villages where the village women work from the comfort of their villages. Besides the training offered, the Foundation supplies the raw materials, provides designs that are customised to address contemporary markets along with transporting the finished products to the urban markets. The increasing demand for the Kottans has also prompted many of these women to involve their entire family in the craft.
While the success story of the Kottans impacted not only a lost heritage but also the lives of many village women, Visalakshi has made equal headway in the revival of the dying craft of Athangudi tiles.
Typically, the art of making these handmade tiles is passed down generations, the trained workmen laying the tiles with skill and precision.
However, the lack of market for these stunning tiles resulted in the art of making them slowly dying. Realising the shortcomings here, Visalakshi aided the tile makers with new designs that suited contemporary modes besides finding them the market as well as the right price.
Equal attention has been given to the revival of the technique of lime plaster, with workshops being held for artisans from across the country.
“The participants, though did not speak the same language, worked together, sharing their different techniques which involved using glass, marble, eggs and others based on which region they hailed from”, says Visalakshi.
The Foundation also initiated several projects using lime plaster. However, since the technique is time consuming, besides the skill and money required, not many choose to opt or pursue it, according to Visalakshi.
Being also a team effort, it requires enough skilled people to execute the technique and there is a dearth of such skilled workers, resulting in sluggish revival of this dying technique, she adds.
The Chettinad heritage also includes the display of colourful paintings done with stencils and mineral colours, where these paintings are done on the ubiquitous stone pillars and lime plastered walls that mark their sprawling mansions.
Visalakshi also set about reviving this art by making the stencils and painting the designs on plywood which can then be used as decorative elements in a contemporary décor.
