Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Aug 16: Mahadevi Kulal resides at Bangle near Alur high school in the taluk. Poverty and polio are the banes she was born with. Because of polio she does not have any sensation or control over one of her legs. This differently-abled girl, who has studied up to tenth standard, is always seen bubbling with enthusiasm. With spirited fight against odds, she has acquired a skill through which she has been able to create magic out of ordinary things.

Mahadevi has always remained self reliant and self confident. She came to have unshaken belief in herself, and took a decision not to depend on others or become burdensome. Born into a family of potters, it did not take long for her to master the craft of creating beautiful things out of clay. She readily adopted clay as the raw material for her creations to which she provided a touch of modernity. She can be called a true fashion designer, because she has created hundreds of neck ornaments, ear rings and lobes, bracelets, and others during the last four years out of clay and colours.

She got inspiration to hone her innate talent from Bheema Sangha, and underwent a six-month training course. The fact that she had immense interest in painting since childhood helped her to become skilled at this art form. She began to create different designs with her painting brush on ornaments made of clay. Nursed by her hands, these lifeless clay items began to give lively vibes. In her hands, clay gets burnt, processed, carved, and shaped into attractive ornaments. The shapes, sizes, clarity of intricately carved ornaments give rise to a sense of awe among the onlookers.

This girl can spend over five hours every day in this creative work. She however confesses that she is not inclined to create too many ornaments because of lack of market. The fact that she is unable to move around and visit towns frequently to market her products has worked to her disadvantage. Although some voluntary service organizations have been extending support to her on certain occasions, her products deserve a bigger market.

The artistic string needed for creating her ornaments and chains need to be brought from Mangaluru. It is a challenging task to put the creations together than painting and creating designs, she admits. Mahadevi, who does work by sitting in a corner, also is required to pack everything she creates. She says that she can create about 50 designs in a week if she works four hours everyday. She does not use any models of design or moulds for her designs, and entirely depends on her painting skills. In addition to decorative ornaments, she also has created things like tortoise, three monkeys, Lord Ganapati, palm, etc.

In recognition of her achievements and her conscious efforts towards women's empowerment, she was chosen for 'Konkani Yuva Puraskar' in 2012. She was felicitated by Bhagat Singh Yuvaka Mandala and Sneha Navodaya self help group from her native village, Alur. Lanco Foundation has extended help towards fitting of artificial limb. Mahadevi has been active in Marikamba self help group under Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project since the last ten years.

One feels that she is in need of suitable support from the government. At present, the only support she gets is the monthly pension for the disabled. Government departments can help Mahadevi, who has done SSLC, to get employed locally, or by making arrangements for her to further fine-tune her skill. The government should identify her contribution towards emerging as a role model for differently-abled people.

Mahadevi says she is bothered by the problem of marketting, and rues the fact that she herself has been unable to go out and market her products. 'I feel that I can survive on the basis of my art if someone extends help to get suitable market for my products. This art needs support and encouragement from the public. My wish is to lead a self-reliant life with my head held high,' she explains.