One man's 30-year-long journey in making statues — of Gods and human idols — out of cotton and entering the Guinness Records
Anant Khairnar with a Lord Mahavir cotton sculpture. Pics/Rishikesh Khairnar
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Among the many celebrated art works and curios that sit in cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's 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 hadn't met before. I was touched that word-of-mouth publicity about my craft had reached him."
The Guinness record holder is a self-taught artist who has a day job as office supervisor with Life Insurance Corporation of India, and has sculpted more than 2,000 human and fabled figures out of surgical cotton in a 30-year-long career. Currently giving shape to two dissimilar epic personalities, Lord Mahavir and Swami Vivekanand, Khairnar continues to experiment with cotton's malleability. Ganeshas occupy a significant place in his collection, numbering 1,500, 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 7.5 feet tall model of Mahatma Gandhi is much discussed, his tallest cotton statue is the 12-feet-tall Lord Rama accompanied by Sita. This model was on display at Nasik's Kumbha Mela in 2015.
A cotton rendition of Mahatma Gandhi
The 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 cross-section of customers approach Khairnar. The three-feet figure of philosopher-reformer 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 Khairnar's art on social media and tracked down the artist to his Nasik studio. He felt that Khairnar's use of eco-friendly cotton and natural dyes gelled with BSI's objectives of exploring plant resources of the country and identifying species with economic virtue.
One of Goddess Saraswati
Meanwhile, the statue of Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara, has been commissioned by Mumbai-based 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 ParsvanÄu00c2u0081tha or Ratilal Maharaj. Although he doesn't belong to the Jain community, he manages to create the saumya bhav (gentleness) in the idol's eyes, which followers like myself are drawn to," says Hemani.
An Amitabh Bachchan sculpture
But, it didn't 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 phase-wise photographic updates of his work, showing a willingness to factor in suggestions from clients," appreciates Hemani. Khairnar's 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 extra-curricular 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 use-and-throw objects. Once he remodeled a film projector using cast-off 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 cotton.
In 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 non-polluting 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 jewellery.
While Khairnar is happy to accommodate client suggestions and requests, the one rule is no deadline-bound bulk orders. "If the art in cotton is to be retained, each item has to be distinctive. It cannot look like a mechanised factory-line product."
Sumedha Raikar-Mhatre is a culture columnist in search of the sub-text. You can reach her at sumedha.raikar@gmail.com
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