He left govt job for artistic journey with coconut shells

R Kumaraguru, a resident of New Housing Board Colony in Thanjavur, who had completed diploma at Kumbakonam Government Fine Arts College, joined as a clerk in the Land Surveying Department on compassionate grounds after the demise of his father and was promoted to the rank of Superintendent later. Though he was working in the government department, his passion for the arts and crafts made him quit the job in 2016. Then he started taking arts classes for the children across Thanjavur and he was content with the meagre amount he could earn through teaching of arts then.

Appealing youngsters to take up this as a part-time work, Kumaraguru is confident that the job would fetch them at least Rs 40,000 per month. “It is all a matter of training for just one month through NABARD and Poompuhar with stipend,” he said.

One day, after seeing coconut shells in dust bins, the idea of turning them into several compact utensils like cup and saucer, spoon, decorative wall hangings and crafted several images struck him. Soon he gave shape to his idea and the products besides making him popular, also evoked response from some people who wanted learn the art from him.

“Initially, I made all these artworks manually and after the demand increased, I made a machine running on a motor to cut, sharpen and polish the shells and the whole process became easy. It saved time and also make more such creative and impressive products,” Kumaraguru told DT Next. Meanwhile, his products were displayed at the Sangeetha Mahal Society Hall, which drew appreciation from foreign tourists and thus, his customer base expanded to Canada, Australia and the UK as well apart from various parts of India.

He sells his products in the range of Rs 70 to Rs 300 per piece and the wine cup is the most sought after by foreign tourists.

In the meantime, the Poombuhar and NABARD selected him as a trainer for this craftwork and he has been teaching people from all over the country. “Students in Kerala show much interest,” he claimed. Kumaraguru has trained at least 700 persons among them at least 50 per cent of them have started to take this as a full time job.