Let Each Day Be Your Master Piece- FT13102

ARTS AND CRAFTS: The Value Added To Indian Culture

From time immemorial Art and India have been synonymous. India’s diversity thrives on this and it is a vital part of our civilization now. Art is involved in every walk of our lives, be it the handcrafted utensils or the statues of Gods. Indians Handicrafts history can be traced back to, as old as, the Stone Age. The art of spinning and weaving of cotton was known to the Harrappans 5000 years ago. Indian Arts and Crafts of each age reflect the culture, traditions and happenings of that particular era. Every age, every dynasty, every empire has its influence and essence in the crafts belonging to those times, therefore making India's heritage diverse and culturally rich.

The Valluvar Arts and Crafts believes in taking forward this saga which their ancestors had initiated. The shop started in 1972. It carries with itself an experience of 40 years.

The shop is run by Mr D.Kannan. The statues and crafts of this shop are created by 45 workers who work in a factory some 4 kms from the shop. The first thought which crossed my mind when I entered the shop was marvellous. Each and every creation had the perfection of a true artist. It’s very rare that we come across so many mystique art pieces all at one time. All the sculptures were of god, gods from all across the nation like Lord Ganesh, Lord Venkateshwara. I was actually excited to see lord Ganesh in Black Granite stone for the first time. Infact the Mr Kannan later told me that the statue of Ganesha is the highest seller of his shop. Its costs 500 Rs.

The next thing which caught my attention were these very small elephants made of Soft Stone kept in large numbers. I intricacy of those pieces forced me to buy one of them, pink in colour and costing me 100 bucks. They were made from soft stone which is imported from Orissa.

When I asked about the costliest piece of their shop he took me to this single stone carved stautue of Lord Venkatveshwara. Its cost was 3lakhs. Woops…that was way too much beyond my expectation. Seeing the expression on my face he understood my doubt and explained me that single stone sculptures are costliest as they require a long time and very artful hand to complete it in all its grandeur.