(Dolat Rai)

Art is the expression of human creative skill and imagination which requires deep and extensive imagination to achieve the incredible results that astonish everyone. When an artisan expresses his deep feelings, he brings inimitable work out of his creativity and imagination. Jagdesh Kumar Suthar is one such genius artisan.

He hails from the small village of Khenroi, three kilometers from Diplo Taluka in Tharparkar District. Born in 1990 in this village, Kumar Suthar received his early education from Government Primary School Khenroi, then enrolled in Government High School Diplo from where he passed his matriculation. He did his intermediate from Government Degree College Mithi in 2010.

Due to his family’s poor financial status, to make ends meet, he helped his father in carving furniture and wood work and started to learn this ancient art. After intermediate, he started to work with his father in furniture making in their village initially. However, over the past two years, Jagdesh Kumar has been running his shop in Diplo Taluka.

They belong to the Suthar community, and this community is known for its unique artisan work of carving furniture and wood work. The exceptional work of Jagdesh Kumar Suthar has been recognized on different social media platforms. In the past few years he has got to learn the finer points of wood work through his instinctive approach, and self-taught skills and sharp powers of observation.

A few months ago, he was successful in creating a CNC machine, band saw, scroll saw, solar flour mill, and a wooden lathe machine with his own hands. All these machines were made by him despite his limited resources.

During my interaction with Kumar, I asked him why he had not studied further. He replied that his dire financial conditions forced him to support his family and join their furniture carving and woodwork trade.  Due to my poor financial status, I felt the only remedy to make ends meet was join my father’s trade. So, I left my education and entered my father’s trade to my father and my family, he added.

When he started helping his father, first he made a CNC machine which is used for carving the finest wooden work. Second, the band saw machine is used for cutting wood. Third, a scroll saw machine which is used for designing wood. Fourth, the wooden lathe machine is used for the finest designing of wood. Fifth, cement craft framing is used for cement framing.

Lastly, he made a solar flour mill (In Tharparkar, people used to grind the grains in mud-made flour mills when there were no flour mills) which is used to grind the grains into smaller pieces to produce flour.

Besides, he also made several crafts.

Talking to this scribe, Jagdesh Kumar Suthar said our family has been able to make different hand-made machinery because I am using modern technology. As I have done intermediate, I only have a little knowledge about computer literacy and am not very computer literate. However, I still managed to make a CNC machine which is run with the help of the computer. In addition to that, I also learned to use some software that helps me in my art and craft work.

Further, personally I love to educate and guide youth and am willing to help all youngsters of Tharparkar without any charge. If anyone in the area is willing to learn about wood work I am available to help them.

Because the youth of the 21st century possesses different skills which I don’t know. And if youth come to learn craft skills, then it will be helpful for me to brush up on my computer literacy skills and the youth will get to learn about art and craft, and I learn different skills from youth.

Recently, he made two chess boards and the game’s playing pieces which are mesmerizing masterpieces of the traditional art of Tharparkar, and the viewer can’t help admire his work.

Lastly, Jagdesh Kumar Suthar said the government needs to facilitate people who have talent and are artisans, by setting up small full-equipped stalls with modern tools and equipment. This will help the artisans’ work get promoted across the globe. Because Artisan work (hand-made) is loved by people who possess aesthetic sense and an eye for unique beauty. He added that with the help of modern tools and devices, the art and craft Tharparkar can be made even more beautiful and attract the attention of a more global audience.