Fronds of coconut palm leaves come alive at John Baby’s nimble fingers. With a twist here, a snip there and a piece of coconut rib to hold the fronds in place, the leaves turn into birds, fish, snakes, trumpets, balls and caps.
At Thalir, a workshop conducted by NGO Thanal in Thiruvananthapuram, children between the ages of seven and 14 follow the pony-tailed master palm leaf artist and sculptor Baby’s instructions carefully as he shows them how to braid and fold the palm leaves and its rib to make toys and other objects.
Disregarding the heat, the children enthusiastically showcase the fish, birds, spectacles, crowns and balls made by them. Seven-year-old Ardra AR proudly shows her green bird while seven-year-old Aydin Mohammed displays a fish swaying at the end of a makeshift line. C Jayakumar, executive director of Thanal, goes around blowing a trumpet that John made for him even as he attempts to make one of his own.
