No land, water boundaries for Pudukottai Thangaiya’s ‘terracotta’ world
Thangaiya, an old SSLC holder, had learnt the craft when he was studying Class 7 from his mother, Meenakshi, and sharpened his knowledge through his guru, noted Terracotta artisan Mazhaiyur M Rangasamy. Thereafter, his journey with terracotta became unstoppable.
R Thangaiya, White horse made by him in Japan
TIRUCHY: Terracotta artwork and Thangaiya Ramaiya from Valathakadu in Pudukkottai are almost synonyms as this 70-year-old artisan has been called with a prefix of ‘Terracotta’ for his dedication and love for the art.
He has toured more than 10 European countries, the US, South Korea, Japan and Myanmar to exhibit and create terracotta artworks.
Thangaiya, an old SSLC holder, had learnt the craft when he was studying Class 7 from his mother, Meenakshi, and sharpened his knowledge through his guru, noted Terracotta artisan Mazhaiyur M Rangasamy. Thereafter, his journey with terracotta became unstoppable.
“My guru took me to Delhi in 1993 to participate in the All India Crafts Fair and we made one Ayyanar temple model at Pragati Maidan in Delhi. That work moved me on top gear,” says Thangaiya.
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In the same year, Thangaiya was sent to Greece by the Indian tourism department to showcase his skills at the Indian Food and Cultural Festival.
“It was his first international trip,” he recalls. Again in 2001, he was sent to the World Folk Ceramic Exposition, Greece 2001, South Korayingko Ceramics Carnival and International Workshop, Taiwan in 2002, The International Wood Fire Festival in Japan in 2008, The Namaste India, an exhibition, at Tokyo in Japan- 2008 and The Terracotta exhibition at Paris in France 2010.
“I was sent to France where I made two terracotta horses and presented them to officials,” said Thangiah who visited Malaysia in 2018 and Burma in 2019 and exhibited his works in the carnivals.
Wherever Thangaiya went, he used to create votive figures with the local clay and thus he created a white horse in Japan with the clay he got from there.
“After burning the figure, the white horse turned to light yellow and the officials from Japan were overwhelmed to look at the horse and lauded me,” he recalls.
His creations are adorning various museums across the country. For instance, votive figures of Ayyanar exhibited at the permanent Exhibition in the National Handicraft and Handlooms Museum (Textiles Ministry -- New Delhi, Humankind Museum (IGRMS) -- Bhopal and Mysore, Sanskrit Museum, New Delhi, votive Ayyanar figure at Shrine Mazhaiyur in Pudukkottai, in Tamil Nadu.
He has taught the techniques of terracotta art to more than 3,000 students around the world in the last 30 years. He is the permanent terracotta master for SPIC-MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youth) and he is scheduled to impart one-week training to students at Gwalior in Madya Pradesh on October 7.