At 85, he crafts a colourful crepe paper world

By S. Kenneth Shishir

When many choose to lead a quiet life after retirement, an 85-year-old senior citizen in Mysuru spends his days crafting beautiful artefacts from discarded coconut and wood apple shells, while decorating his home with flowers that only appear real.

In fact, these are carefully hand-crafted blooms made from imported crepe paper in vibrant colours that closely mimic nature’s beauty.

Coconut shell art and paper-flower craft continue to thrive in Mysuru, blending traditional craftsmanship with sustainable practices.

The multi-talented senior citizen from Ramakrishnanagar ‘K’ Block is K.S. Srikantu. A post-graduate in History, he also completed a five-year sculpture course at the Chamarajendra Technical Institute on Sayyaji Rao Road as a private student between 1965 and 1967.

Srikantu later joined the Department of Archaeology as a temporary employee and was involved in the repair of several temple gopuras from 1976 to 2002, before stepping away from service. During this period, he contributed to the restoration of about 22 temple towers.

Among the temples where he undertook repair works are the Sri Srikanteshwara Temple in Nanjangud (1976), Sri Cheluvanarayanaswamy Temple in Melukote (1978), Sri Chowdeshwari Temple in Mysuru (1986), Sri Mahalingeshwaraswamy Temple in Mysuru (1987), Sri Male Mahadeshwara Temple at MM Hills (1991), Sri Jwalamukhi Tripurasundari Temple at Uttanahalli (1996), Sri Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple at B.R. Hills (1997), repair and painting of Mahishasura statue atop Chamundi Hill (1997), Sri Lakshmijanardhana Swamy Temple in Mandya (2001), Sri Prasanna Nanjundeshwaraswamy Temple at Santhepet in Mysuru and Sri Shwetha Varahaswamy Temple at Mysore Palace (2002), among others in and around the city.

After quitting his job, Srikantu wished to continue sculpting. “As I did not have space to store large rocks and boulders required for sculpture, I began creating useful and decorative items from empty coconut and wood apple shells. I also started making colourful flowers using imported crepe paper,” he says.

His day begins with prayer. After breakfast, he arranges his work table with scissors of different sizes, knives of various shapes, chisels and other tools and immerses himself in his craft.

“Nothing goes to waste in my house. Even discarded plastic items are turned into something useful. I have made wooden earrings, animal figurines, necklaces and other decorative pieces from waste materials. My works have been exhibited at expos in Bengaluru and at the Dasara Exhibition,” he says.

Srikantu has also trained many women in making paper flowers, artificial jewellery and paper purses. “I do not sell my artworks. I teach only those who are genuinely interested and charge a nominal fee. They must bring their own materials,” he adds.

An accomplished drama artiste as well, he trained the then Nanjangud Temple Chief Priest Neelakanta Dixit. His play ‘Samayakke Sullu’ has won several prizes in competitions, he says with a smile.

Srikantu lives with his son K.S. Santosh, who runs a software company in city, daughter-in-law Shalini, grandson Sankeerth and granddaughter Shradha. His wife, T.R. Nirmala, a lecturer at a junior college in Mandya, passed away in 2009.

Srikantu can be reached on Mob: 97314-00276.