Sowing seeds of Sanjhi art

Syed Fakruddin Huseni, popularly known as ‘Mysore Huseni’, who specialises in paper-cutting art forms such as Sanjhi and Kirigami (Japanese paper cutting art) has made 30 pieces on Lord Krishna in varied forms, to mark Krishna Janmashtami.

Huseni, who was interested in paper-cutting art right from school days, has completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Karnataka University, Dharwad. A fine pair of scissors and paper sheets is all this artist needs to create beautiful and intricate art. Till date, he has created more than 4,000 works, he said.

Huseni said that there were not many artists who were well-versed in Sanjhi art form in India. He continued, “Originating from Mathura, Sanjhi is an ancient art and it was practised even before the 14th century. There are two different kinds of this art forms - traditional Sanjhi that involves creating paper works on Lord Krishna and the other involves rangoli designs.”

He added that presently, most of the Sanjhi artists were in Rajasthan and Mathura.

The artist, who has participated in several solo and group shows across the country, has bagged many awards including the Mysore Dasara award and the Yuva Sambhrama award from the Kannada Culture Department (Mysore).

In the year 2002, he started a movement called ‘Sanjhi Kala Loka’, to create awareness among the public about the traditional art form.

“From 2002 till date, I have covered 24 districts in the State and as a part of the movement, I have demonstrated the art and taught it to the students of educational institutions,” he said.
His most memorable experience, Huseni admits, was when he met a delegation comprising 36 artists from Indonesia in 2008.

“They had come to a cultural programme and were interested in learning more about the Sanjhi paper cutting art form,” he said. A full-time professional paper cutting artist, Huseni's future plans include covering the remaining districts of Karnataka.