Sumedha Raikar-Mhatre: Be still, cotton

Anant Khairnar with a Lord Mahavir cotton sculpture PicsRishikesh KhairnarAmong the many celebrated art works and curios that sit in cricket legend Sachin Tendulkars Perry Road home is a Ganesha idol made from surgical cotton The idol was made by cotton sculptor Anant Khairnar whom Tendulkar had specifically engaged and in fact he invited Khairnar home for an extended chat when the art work turned out exactly as it was visualised I was doing all the talking Khairnar laughs as he remembers that 2011 meeting I spoke about the choice of cotton how I store at in my Nasik gallery and my roots in Jawhar where I was born in 1966 And here was the most interviewed person on the planet listening to me We hadnt met before I was touched that wordofmouth publicity about my craft had reached himThe Guinness record holder is a selftaught artist who has a day job as office supervisor with Life Insurance Corporation of India and has sculpted more than 2000 human and fabled figures out of surgical cotton in a 30yearlong career Currently giving shape to two dissimilar epic personalities Lord Mahavir and Swami Vivekanand Khairnar continues to experiment with cottons malleability Ganeshas occupy a significant place in his collection numbering 1500 and have been crafted in every possible shape size and facial expression But Khairnar has also made trophies company logos architecture models building miniatures and fashion accessories While the 75 feet tall model of Mahatma Gandhi is much discussed his tallest cotton statue is the 12feettall Lord Rama accompanied by Sita This model was on display at Nasiks Kumbha Mela in 2015A cotton rendition of Mahatma GandhiThe following his art enjoys is evident from the diverse patronage From Ganesh mandals to temple trusts and educational institutions to connoisseurs and art collectors an enviable crosssection of customers approach Khairnar The threefeet figure of philosopherreformer Swami Vivekanand he is working on is going to sit at the Indian Museum Gallery situated in the Botanical Survey of India campus in Kolkata Dinesh Shirodkar of the BSI first saw Khairnars art on social media and tracked down the artist to his Nasik studio He felt that Khairnars use of ecofriendly cotton and natural dyes gelled with BSIs objectives of exploring plant resources of the country and identifying species with economic virtueOne of Goddess SaraswatiMeanwhile the statue of Mahavir the 24th Tirthankara has been commissioned by Mumbaibased software businessman Atul Hemani He has sculpted four revered personalities of the Jain religion in the past Since I met him in 2005 at a show at the World Trade Center I have depended on him for cotton sculptures of Jain idols whether it is Bhagwan ParsvanAumlu00c2u0081tha or Ratilal Maharaj Although he doesnt belong to the Jain community he manages to create the saumya bhav gentleness in the idols eyes which followers like myself are drawn to says HemaniAn Amitabh Bachchan sculptureBut it didnt come easy to Khairnar Other than observing photographs he visited several derasars Jain places of worship before he set out to give shape to his Mahavir He sends phasewise photographic updates of his work showing a willingness to factor in suggestions from clients appreciates Hemani Khairnars childhood spent in Jawhar of Palghar district saw no connection to cotton art He belonged to the family of a poor tailor who had six children to support An extracurricular craft class was an indulgence but tribal art ran in the DNA of all Jawharkars thanks to the tradition of painting in the neighbouring Warli and Korku adivasi natives Children were left to their own resources to play with colours and rangoli Khairnar fashioned minor artifacts out of matchsticks and other useandthrow objects Once he remodeled a film projector using castoff camera rolls These random acts found a legitimate dais when he moved to Nasik to pursue a degree in chemistry Little did he know that this was the beginning of his lifetime tryst with cottonIn 1987 a neighborhood Ganesh Mandal asked him to style an innovative Ganesha This was his chance to live up to his Jawhar art credentials It was in an attempt to try out a material other than plaster of Paris or clay that led Khairnar to the nonpolluting cotton I put some principles of classroom chemistry to use in order to make the cotton tough and durable Since I was my own guru every error was reason for further trial Khairnar recalls how Lord Ganesha provided the opportunity to perfect his art in the initial years as mandal after mandal approached him In 1997 he gained an entry into the Limca Book of Records after he shaped a Maharashtrian woman decked in traditional jewelleryWhile Khairnar is happy to accommodate client suggestions and requests the one rule is no deadlinebound bulk orders If the art in cotton is to be retained each item has to be distinctive It cannot look like a mechanised factoryline productSumedha RaikarMhatre is a culture columnist in search of the subtext You can reach her at sumedharaikargmailcom