MT Vasudevan Nair carved on a banyan tree leaf by Rajendran Vadakkepadath
Rajendran Vadakkepadath, whose leaf art has taken his fame across the borders, paid a unique homage to M.T. Vasudevan Nair by carving the Jnanapith laureate’s face on a banyan tree leaf on Thursday.
He paid similar tributes to luminaries like Maradona, Lata Mangeshkar and General Bipin Rawat when they died in recent years.
“If I cannot pay such a tribute to MT, who else will I give?” he asked, referring to his passion for MT’s writings.
Mr. Rajendran, who lives at Chittur in the district, specialises in banana leaf art. But doing a work on a banana leaf will take many days. “I can’t wait for so many days. That’s why I just cut MT’s image on a single peraal leaf,” he said.
It took about three hours for Mr. Rajendran to etch MT on the leaf. If held against the sky or any light source, MT’s serious face he etched will be visible on the leaf.
He said that he chose the banyan leaf because the elliptical leaf was thick, large, glossy, and would last longer than other leaves. He used a 16 cm long and nine cm wide leaf to give life to MT. He will preserve the leaf by framing it. He said it would last for years as he used certain methods to season the leaf.
An art teacher at a school by profession, he teaches leaf art to enthusiasts. “Leaf cutting is an artistic genre. Like other art forms, it requires patience and care,” he said.
Published – December 28, 2024 06:54 pm IST