JOIN USLord Ganapathi, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Saraswathi, Goddess Lakshmi, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Laughing Buddha, Govardhan Giri, Kathakali dancer, Kalinga Mardhan, an angel, a boatman, parrot, crocodile, lion, tiger, an artistic lamp, dancing peacock…the list continues. These pieces of art are what welcome you at the C E Kamath Institute for Artisans (CEKIA) located in Miyar, a serene village in Karkala taluk, Udupi district. This is a place where a piece of metal, a stone, a wooden log or a heap of clay turns into a beautiful, artistic and fascinating creation. What is more fascinating is that all these creations have been created by not professionals, but by students in metal, stone, wood and clay.
In fact, 19 boys from Bagalkot, 11 from Bijapur, 22 from Shivamogga, 23 from Kerala and four from Meghalaya, among many others from different states of India, would have been doing some kind of menial job in their villages, had they not been guided by somebody towards CEKIA.
The origins
Set up by Canara Bank in 1997 to fulfil the dreams of talented but deprived youth, CEKIA
was established through the Bank’s Centenary Rural Development Trust as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
The primary objective was to skill these young men in this traditional art of our country. The institute also aimed to motivate artisans and the unemployed youth to take up traditional arts as a means of self-employment, which would also preserve India’s rich heritage. It has also created a conducive environment to enhance and refine artistic skills of the trainees, resulting in the production of intrinsic artefacts with intrinsic value. More importantly, the institute and the experienced and highly skilled faculty motivate and infuse confidence in the trained artisans to become self employed.
The institute has transformed the course of many young men’s lives in the country for good. A case in point is Chandrashekar, fifth son of Rama Poojary and Rathnamma, agricultural labourers from N R Pura in Chikkamagaluru. He had to discontinue his studies after ninth standard and join a hotel as a supplier to fend for his family. That was when his brother learned about CEKIA.
He immediately got Chandrashekar admitted to CEKIA in October 1997. By the time he completed his course in April 1999, he had learnt all aspects of carving, along with gaining tips in personality development, banking and customer service. Soon afterwards, he got an opportunity to work under a well-known sculptor Radhamadhav Shenoy for six years and the experience helped him start his own unit in Bajagoli in 2005. “Today, he has
employed two persons and owns a car for his business. His major works can be seen in Lakkavalli Kaleshwar Temple, temples of Barkur, Theerthahalli, Koppa, Mandagadde and Moodigere, among other places,” says Surendra Kamath, the Director of CEKIA.
Another interesting case is that of thirty-year-old Laxman, who was a driver from Bihar. One day, while he was driving the director of CEKIA, the latter suggested that Laxman join the institute. Today, Laxman has learnt to speak Kannada and has employed seven people.
Free training
The institute provides training in wood and stone carving for 18 months, art pottery for six months and metal craft for 18 months. Another interesting aspect is that entire training is provided free of cost to the trainees. This includes free boarding and lodging.
In addition to this, the institute also imparts training in personality development, entrepreneurial competencies and other soft skills with a view of overall development of the trainees. A free educational tour (especially to Belur and Halebeedu) related to sculpting is part of the course.The only criterion for selection is that applicants should be aged between 18 and 35 years and should have studied up to seventh standard.
Candidates will be selected based on their performance in a test and interview. On completion of the training, they will be encouraged to set up their own
enterprise, for which the bank will extend credit facility and guide them towards establishing their enterprise, said Kamath. Spacious and well-equipped buildings, modern training methods, a library with a good collection of books and recreational facilities have been provided to the trainees.
The campus also provides an excellent atmosphere for artisan training and a comfortable stay. In fact, students have converted a rock lying in the premises into a beautiful crocodile and a wonderful piece of art work has been created with a piece of wooden log (which is otherwise discarded as waste).
So far, CEKIA has trained 506 artisans, of which 460 have settled with satisfactory earnings, says Kamath and adds that the trainees actively take part in various exhibitions, seminars and workshops. Their stall at the recently concluded Mahamastakabhisheka in Karkala was one of the main attractions with sculptures at unbelievable prices. For example, a dancing peacock, carved out of wood (Shivani wood), which would otherwise cost anywhere around Rs 35,000 was priced at Rs 4,000. But this does not mean that the institute compromises on the quality of materials.
While 60 to 70-year-old wood is procured from Singapore or Burma, metal is procured from Udupi or Bengaluru and stones are procured from Nellikar in Karkala, as they are abundant in the region. At present, the Institute has 63 students including a deaf and mute student from Sirsi who works on terracotta. Interested students can apply throughout the year and the institute recruits students as and when vacancies arise. Except for wood carving (they wait for 10 students to start a fresh batch), students can join any time of the year.
At a time when the breed of traditional artists is fast dwindling and disappearing, CEKIA has been a ray of hope for the last, least and lost, helping preserve the rich traditional art and heritage in the years to come.