One look at a heap of grains and is enough to set S.Ramasamy to think. What kind of structure could be created? A church ratham? A temple chariot? Or a mosque?
For the past 30 years, the former BHEL crane operator has been creating such magnificent structures, entirely out of rice grains. Recently he got associated with Poompuhar, which helps him get a good price for his works.
A native of Thirumayam, Ramasamy joined BHEL in 1971 and had to move to Trichy. His father-in law was an artisan who made different objects out of grains. His creations had a good response. They were purchased and displayed at the museums in Pudukkottai and the BHEL office, Trichy.
Observing his father-in law at work, Ramasamy developed interested too. Soon, he mastered the skill and began making artistic objects in his leisure time after work.
Soon, it became a cherished hobby for him. Moreover, the additional income that this activity brought gave him a sense of pride. He creates objects which people use as wedding gifts and for display in pooja rooms.
In 2001, retirement from his full-time job enabled him to devote all of his time and energy to his hobby that also generated some income.
Making an object such as the chariot is a a tiring and time-consuming task and involves intricate workmanship. An important aspect is that only a particular variety of grains are used to make the items. The TK9 grain that he prefers to use is similar to the matta arisi variety available in Kerala, according to the artisan Ramasamy.
A medium-sized chariot is made out of 3600 grains and takes approximately 22 days to make, right from the selection of the right grains to the completion of the final structure. Ramasamy claims that the structures the he creates will remain undamaged for up to 200 years.
The process begins when TK9 grains purchased from farms in Thiruvarur are soaked in water and sprinkled with turmeric. They are dried for 4 days.
The thickest grains are chosen carefully , pasted on a cardboard and dried. Next comes the most important task. Then the grains are tied together in a braid using a thread and double-fastened with a decorative thread.
Several such braids are pasted on an outline which is created out of binding cardboard. It is again allowed to dry. This structure is then pasted on a readymade toy-sized wooden wheel like structure. Bits of ribbon, thermacol, decorative glass velvet cloth and stone are also used to decorate the object.
The process is quite long and can be finished in 3 weeks, only because his wife and daughter help him by making all the braids, he says.
For any other personal doubts regarding the post which can't be asked in public. . .you can mail us at any time to trichytalks@gmail.com
For the past 30 years, the former BHEL crane operator has been creating such magnificent structures, entirely out of rice grains. Recently he got associated with Poompuhar, which helps him get a good price for his works.
A native of Thirumayam, Ramasamy joined BHEL in 1971 and had to move to Trichy. His father-in law was an artisan who made different objects out of grains. His creations had a good response. They were purchased and displayed at the museums in Pudukkottai and the BHEL office, Trichy.
Observing his father-in law at work, Ramasamy developed interested too. Soon, he mastered the skill and began making artistic objects in his leisure time after work.
Soon, it became a cherished hobby for him. Moreover, the additional income that this activity brought gave him a sense of pride. He creates objects which people use as wedding gifts and for display in pooja rooms.
In 2001, retirement from his full-time job enabled him to devote all of his time and energy to his hobby that also generated some income.
Making an object such as the chariot is a a tiring and time-consuming task and involves intricate workmanship. An important aspect is that only a particular variety of grains are used to make the items. The TK9 grain that he prefers to use is similar to the matta arisi variety available in Kerala, according to the artisan Ramasamy.
A medium-sized chariot is made out of 3600 grains and takes approximately 22 days to make, right from the selection of the right grains to the completion of the final structure. Ramasamy claims that the structures the he creates will remain undamaged for up to 200 years.
The process begins when TK9 grains purchased from farms in Thiruvarur are soaked in water and sprinkled with turmeric. They are dried for 4 days.
The thickest grains are chosen carefully , pasted on a cardboard and dried. Next comes the most important task. Then the grains are tied together in a braid using a thread and double-fastened with a decorative thread.
Several such braids are pasted on an outline which is created out of binding cardboard. It is again allowed to dry. This structure is then pasted on a readymade toy-sized wooden wheel like structure. Bits of ribbon, thermacol, decorative glass velvet cloth and stone are also used to decorate the object.
The process is quite long and can be finished in 3 weeks, only because his wife and daughter help him by making all the braids, he says.
For any other personal doubts regarding the post which can't be asked in public. . .you can mail us at any time to trichytalks@gmail.com
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