Date:16/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/16/stories/2006031610190200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

A piece of art from a lump of wood

Special Correspondent

Rural artisans demonstrate their work at Cauvery Emporium on Mahatma Gandhi Road

DEFT HANDS: Seshappa at work

Bangalore: Art is no longer confined the salons of the elite and urban art galleries. Some of it belongs to traditional craftspersons who are beginning to get a helping hand now from the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation.

The corporation has been regularly arranging live demonstrations of artisans at work in recent months outside the Cauvery Emporium on Mahatma Gandhi Road. The most recent were mirror work embroidery by Lambani women, Channapatna wooden toys, bronzeware, bidriware from Bidar and rosewood inlay work. The live demonstration and sale now covers Kinhal toys and craftwork from the Koppal region of North Karnataka.

For the past few days, Seshappa, a rural artisan, has been fashioning fruits from the soft wood of the drumstick tree and painting them in bright colours. Till you look closely, they look like the real thing. Such is the finesse of Kinhal craft, which is in need of being revived before it dies out. Seshappa is a traditional Kinhal artist who has been practising the craft for four decades and is keen on teaching youngsters the nuances of making a lump of wood into a piece of art.

Seshappa comes from Kinhal, a village 11 km from Koppal, which is home to this craft. It is believed that the art of Kinhal painted woodenware dates to the Vijayanagara Empire, founded around 1500 A.D. The craft flourished due to the patronage of the Vijayanagara rulers in whose reign many of the fine arts reached their aesthetic zenith. The Kinhal style is a part of the painting and sculpture styles of that era, according to art historians.

After the fall of the empire, the craft received support from the Nawab of Koppal, Desais of Kinhal and more importantly, Nawab Salar Jung of Hyderabad, who also patronised the lacquered woodcraft. The interface between these forms and the common patronage led to a mellow blend of Hindu and Islamic art forms that is a signature feature of the Kinhal craft. Those strolling on Mahatma Gandhi Road could do well to halt for a few minutes at the Brigade Road intersection and see Seshappa at work.