Poetry in Stone
Catherine Gerst gives us a glimpse into the livelihoods of sculptors Raas and Suresh for whom sculpting is a means of livelihood and not just an art form
Raas
As one walks along TPK Road in Pasumalai, a neighbourhood in Madurai, one sees rows of stone carving workshops. Amidst the deafening noise of electrical saws precisely cutting stones which are rough and hard, the stone sculptors work from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm in blinding dust.
Sculpture, a Means of Livelihood
Raas, a sculptor, has been running his own stone workshop for the past 20 years. Like all beginners, when he was just ten years, he polished stones carved by the others, thus completing the final step of stonework. He then teamed up with a sculptor until he decided to acquire his own business.
"Sculpture is not a passion, just a way to make money," says Rass, his betel nut stained teeth clearly visible as he breaks into a smile and his eyes sparking with joy.
Today, however, he hardly sculpts stones and even when he does; he only works on small ones. When business is good, he makes Rs. 3000 in a month after having paid his workers. He has two workers who are also his business partners. Even this has been a calculated move to ward off the poaching for workers that is so widespread in the market. For instance, Rass says it is quite common for the neighbouring shop owner to offer Rs.10 more to his workers. Hence it makes better economic sense and safeguard his business interest to take them as partners and share the profits. The competition is fierce in this market.
Breathing Life into Stone
Suresh
January is a good time for business. This is the month of Thai Pongal, a harvest festival widely celebrated by Tamils, which is an opportunity to receive favours from the gods who are invoked. At this time, the inhabitants of the four or five districts around Madurai city flock to Meenakshi Temple and Raas's business gets a boost.
Ganesha and Kali are part of its stock. The stone carvings of gods and goddesses are purchased by the priests thanks to the donations from the faithful. Sometimes but rarely it is just a single person who will pay and donate the statue to the temple. Once complete, the sculpture is transported from the workshop only after a ritual pooja is performed. During the ceremony, all the people present in the workshop make offerings of coconuts and bananas to the god or goddess. At the temple, the deity is entitled to another pooja, this time performed by the priest.
Stone: A Risky Business
The deafening noise of the saw stops awhile and is replaced by that of a hammer driving a giant nail into the wall. Until recently, the saw was not used and stone work released less dust. Now, however, the sculptors breathe in heavy dust made of mineral l which can enter through the nasal airways. Pulmonary diseases, such as asthma and worse, silicosis, can develop after years of stone working. The workers know what they face, but, Raas says, "Wearing a mask would prevent them from clearly seeing the shape of the stone."
Suresh, Raas's partner is 22 years old. He has worked since the age of 13 years and earned Rs.5 a day by polishing stone. He then launched into training in sculpture.
"Basic sculpture lasted only three months", he says. He is a creative person, most of the time he cuts without drawing templates. Like the others, he inhales considerable dust on a daily basis but seems happy with it. There are, however, other hazards associated with stonework. Three months ago, a circular running saw Suresh was holding in his hands slipped and cut his chest. A long scar gashes his chest. Although he has since recovered the treatment and hospitalisation was expensive. The gods he sculpts watch over him.