User talk:Ramalekshman

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Curves and Carves (a documentary film) 2013
Director's voice

I’ve learnt lot of things from my father Mr. Shanmugam, especially the jewel designs. He trained me to design when I was a kid. He’d a thought that I am going to continue his work in future, but unfortunately I chose another career. It’s been in my mind to document his jewel works. One day the situation had happened to record his work. We had conversation on his jewel carving designs. This would be the first time I heard from my father about his past life on childhood, his learning and implementation of jewel works. That conversation was like a journey towards many things. He traveled to many places to survive through learning. Nagercoil is a place where he implemented his skills that he learnt. He had education in Trivandrum, he traveled to Salem to learn and he implemented his skills in Nagercoil. Today he is living in Chennai with his family. Personally I had experience on being in these places. So, I thought to travel to these places to document the jewel works in current period. In Chennai, my father is still continuing his work whenever he gets time. Some people approach him to request his skills on their jewel works. So I started my journey from Chennai to document this jewel art. Through a long street I met a person Mr. Sambath who does jewel carving design. He explained about his works in that city.

The place Chennai is a start to document the work, but I know that I have to travel a lot to understand the whole story in different places where I visited in my childhood. I traveled to Salem to document the work, the place where he learnt the skill of jewel designs. I met the people I know personally; they helped to document their works. I took the interview of people which interested me to know about their perception on this art. In Salem, I heard about a person who approaches the jewel art philosophically. I met that person, he is Mr. Nellai Muthu. He is around 98 years old person who is still very busy with his social activity. I requested his time to share his philosophical approach on the jewel design. He took a jewel book where there are lots of designs on Thaali or Mangalsutra. He started to explain the essence of philosophy in jewel designs. I am very much emotionally connected with this person, because he never hesitated to share all his experience with me like a unknown person. Beside the philosophy, I learnt from him how to respect a stranger and connect ourselves to them to create a new relationship.

With the hope of relationship I traveled to Nagercoil where my father spent most of his life to implement his skills. After a long time I visited my native place Nagercoil. I documented the beauty of Nagercoil. I met his brothers to get help to document their works. My cousin took me to a person Mr. Sakthivel who does Thaali works. We documented the complete process of Thaali or mangalsutra jewel work. Mr. Sakthivel explained his works and about the types of this jewel ornament. His hospitality and patience to explain everything about his work was very impressive. I left from that place thanking him for all his cooperation. My cousin took me to a place to introduce another person who does temple jewel work, but that particular person wasn’t there, so he invited me to another place where I met a person Mr. Thanu Pichaiya. He is working in temple jewel works, later I was very excited to hear that he writes poems on this jewel works. He has published books and his interviews has documented in literature magazines. He wrote a poem and recited for us. It was quite an experience to hear emotionally structured words from Mr.Thanu Pichaiya. And he added more information about the place Vadaseri in Nagercoil. He was overflowing with lots of information that really surprises me to know about the place where I grown up. It was like a celebration to know more about our place. A celebration which is always helps us to move forward and to have a good relationship with each other. When I was kid I’ve seen many festivals in my native place Nagercoil. Aadi Chevvai is one of the festival happens every year. It was quite an experience seeing many children holding the light and walking around. This time, my experience was quite different, I felt so secured around the lights. I’ve chosen a different career in my life.

Through this journey I get to connect myself with these people. I got a chance to go back to the world of my childhood. That gave me the hope and importance of relationship. I hope it will continue. Our journey never ends.