This Coimbatore-based artist is attempting to revive generational artistry

Mohana Vani who grew up in Coimbatore had a penchant for making things, as early as childhood. Through her travels, she began picking up generational crafts across Tamil Nadu and found a love for palmyra artwork and crafts.

Nearly five years ago, she came across an aging artist in a village in Kanyakumari, who worked with  palm leaves or olai. “I saw a mat he had created for his wedding many decades ago. It was intricately woven,  still in its best shape, and functional. It had become an heirloom,” Vani tells HerStory. 

Fascinated, she began looking up the craft, which eventually led her to villages in the Tamil Nadu region that practised different forms of craft with palm leaves. 

Chettinad, for example, has a tradition of kottan palmyra basketry and hamlets in Thiruchirapalli house generational visiri or handmade palm fans makers. 

Taking crafts out of villages and into the world, Vani was aware it would be difficult for her to revive the livelihood of these artisans alone.  So she decided to combine her love for teaching with her quest to keep the palmyra traditions alive by holding numerous workshops in palm leaf artistry and craft making for students across India. 

At Cuckoo —an alternative school in Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai where she is volunteers—she teaches children to make palm birds and animals, puppets, and everyday objects. 

“I am currently doing my thesis on the holistic style of Waldrof Education (based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, focusing on developing a child’s imagination and creativity).  “I see that practising this art form nurtures their imagination of the children,” says Vani. “I teach them the basics, and they go on to make their own toys, puppets and even build stories upon them. They often create functional objects like pencil boxes and open-ended toys. And I see their fine motor skills and hand-eye movement getting better.”

One of the best ways to sustain the craft and also give artisans their due is by educating the younger generation on the art form, says Vani.. “I also invite artisans to schools to conduct workshops and also take their knowledge far and wide,” says Vani who has taught the art form in schools across Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru. 

She sources most of the palm leaves  from traditional artist communities in Tamil Nadu and Odissa for her workshops and crafts. She also puts traditional craft makers on to clients from across the world who want to buy from them, in an attempt to promote their work and generate some revenue for them. “I do what I can in small ways,” says Vani. “A couple of years ago, she placed an order for 500 toys from an artist in Madurai, and even took workshops for patients struggling with and recovering from cancer in Tamil Nadu. “The craft is deeply meditative and easy to do. It even acts as a stressbuster.”

Among Vani’s most important interventions in this space has been in training adults in Mumbai and school teachers across Tamil Nadu in palm leaf artistry, and many of them have started teaching it to their children. 

"Vani's plan to share her insights and passion with children is wonderful. Instilling a love and respect for nature in them at a young age can have a lasting impact on their attitudes and behaviors as they grow up. By teaching teachers the craft, she creates a ripple effect, reaching a wide range of children and spreading the message of environmental consciousness," says Indra Lakshmi, kindergarten coordinator, Tatva School.