The
Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India, which maintains the Empress
Botanical Garden in Pune; hosts an annual flower show where there is one
regular and most-looked-forward-to display.
The creator is none other than the multi-talented, yet unassuming,
self-taught artiste and eminent social worker, Advocate Mrs. Avlokita Mane,
winner of the Swayamsiddha and Manav Adhikar Puruskaar awards in 2014.
Her pain-staking creations
of landscape-designs crafted with flowers, leaves, vegetables, seeds, natural
material like wood and rocks, etc. are just out-of-this-world. They are to be seen, to be believed.
One can just gaze
for hours on end, at her aesthetic designs of village belles drawing water from
wells, rural scenes, dancing divas (with skirts made of green and red
chillies!), etc.
Besides these,
she hires mannequins and dresses them up in eco-friendly attire like cabbage
and lettuce skirts, tops made of colored leaves, artistic floral hats and
accessories.
The theme rings
out loud and clear. Preserve nature and
enjoy its beauty and bounty. Be one with
God’s creation!
This year, there
was an additional prop of a broom, in the installation, which projected the
message of cleanliness. A loaded school-bag nearby, bemoaned the fact that
these days children are burdened with an excessive load of books! Thus, this artiste gets across socially
relevant messages in a fun-filled way, without being unduly preachy.
As I wanted to
get an insight into the mind of this wonderful artiste, I interviewed her and
got some precious bytes which I would like to share with our readers.
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Let’s talk about
your family background: I was born and brought up in Pune,
in a family of three sisters and then married into a conservative family of
eight brothers. My husband, Arvind, a Deputy Commissioner of Sales-tax, enthusiastically
supports all our artistic talents. Avantika, our elder daughter is a jewelry
designer and a gemologist and Advaita is an Odissi dancer and an educator.
Your educational
qualifications: I’m an Advocate by profession and an artist by passion. After 10
years of service as a Legal Officer in New India Assurance, I quit in 1986, to
pursue my hobbies.
How did you start
making these exquisite creations/displays? When
I was working, I used to design and tailor the dresses of my two daughters, design
saris, embroider, knit, etc. I inherited this hand at needlework from my
mother.
After I quit service, I dabbled in varied artistic fields such as
landscaping, painting, making sculptures and interior-designing. The
photographs of our garden and interiors of our home have appeared in many
newspapers, for their uniqueness.
Once
during Diwali, when my family was sitting and chatting at the dining table, I spontaneously
created a bunch of flowers with dry fruits on the table. This was the start of my
artistic journey, dominated by creative landscaping with mixed media; and then
there was no looking back!
Your exquisite creations:
I have made big designer rangolis with
flowers, cereals, spices, dry fruits, cutlery, fryums (kurdaya), vegetables, fruits, etc. for the Poona Women’s Council
Flower Show at Savitribai Phule University, Empress Garden’s flower show, etc. I
exhibited a portrait of Goddess Durga in dry fruits; at National Chemical
Laboratory for the ‘National Council of Women’ Seminar. I also created the ‘Goddess
of Justice’ with cereals.
When I went to Kerala, impressed
by the quality of spices, I decided to make the creation of ‘Spice Girls’ only with
spices.
To raise funds for Polio Corrective
Surgery, I displayed 25 rangolis (created
in 48 hours!) at the Balgandharva
Kaladalan in Pune. The photographs of these creations were then contributed towards
the making of a table calendar. These copies were sold and the proceeds went to
the NGOs with whom I am associated.
I created displays of sweets,
chocolates and biscuits on 14th November which were later on distributed to orphanages. I
also created theme displays like ‘Maa
tujhe Salaam’ in various media, Dances of India, Spice girls, Water
scarcity, Clean Sweep, tribute to Late Dr. Mohan Dharia (made from 72
vegetables), Ganesha (made of 600-700 roses) for the Rose Show and Ganeshas in
various other media, Radha-Krishna (using crushed stones), Goddess Lakshmi (mixed
media) during Diwali, for ‘Sakaal Times’, a
local newspaper; a land-scape with stationery items for the Happy School theme
at the Balewadi sports complex and a hand-embroidered appliqué work of musical
instruments, to welcome the Sarod maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at a local
5-star hotel.
After receiving a number of awards in
many shows, I stopped competing and only concentrated on displaying my
creations. Through them, I strive to spread socially relevant messages. I take
great pride in mentioning that whatever I earn through ‘my art’ is contributed towards
a social cause.
Could you tell us
the source of materials used for your creations and the average time taken to
make these creations?
I buy all the material with my own resources. Sometimes it
is sponsored. The mannequins are lent to me by a friend who owns a boutique.
The average time for making the creations is 4 to 5 hours.
We’re curious to know what happens to the materials used,
later? Are they treated with
any chemical before use? After the display, the material is
either reused or donated, hence no chemicals are used.
How do you feel when your creations are removed? I feel as if I have just returned after an enjoyable picnic
and started feeling depressed!
Do you indulge in
any other hobbies? I have a great collection of antique vessels, brass idols, diyas, mirrors, driftwood, liquor
bottles, etc. I created bonsai trees for 22 years but stopped completely, when
I saw the tall and majestic trees in Shimla and felt that I shouldn’t interfere
with nature’s creation!
We’d like to learn
about your Social Work: I have been involved in social work since
the last 30 years. I am the ex-President of Poona Women’s Council, Rotary club
of Pune, Far East (Rotary Dist.3131) and am currently the President of the Chitari
Academy of Fine Arts. I work extensively for the welfare of the less fortunate,
visually- impaired, handicapped and special children; and children of commercial
sex-workers at NGO, Nihar. I have always volunteered selflessly without
aspiring for any awards.
But her untiring, selfless service
towards society was recognized and she recently won 2 awards.
Special Honors: Recently I
received the ‘Swayamsiddha’ award in March 2014 (awarded for eminence in social
work, by Lions’ International) and the Manav Adhikar Puraskaar in December 2014
(awarded to eminent social workers, working for human rights’ protection and
awareness).
Your future plans: I’d like
to publish a picture-book of all my creative endeavors, for the benefit of the next
generation.
Your message for the
readers: Every
human-being has some passion, talent and inborn creativity. One must discover
and nurture one’s latent talent, and ultimately master it.
Friends, creation of any art is
another form of meditation and we all know that meditation leads to good
health, honest thoughts and a vibrant life!
With this inspiring and earnest message, she signs off.
Here’s wishing her all the best for her future endeavors!
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Interviewed by Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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| 1. The smiling artiste! |
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| 2. Village belles |
The copyright of the first two photos and write-up is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
The copyright of the remaining photos is with Adv. Mrs. Avlokita Mane.
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| 3. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall... |
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| 4. Gudi Padwa message- Save the girl child, wear helmets while riding. | |
.
The copyright of the photographs is with 
