Kerala-based artist and sculptor John Baby turns palm leaves into toys

Kerala-based artist and sculptor John Baby turns palm leaves into toys and teaches youngsters to do the same

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. 

John says he feels fulfilled if he has awakened the interest of even five of the children to explore their surroundings and not depend on mass produced toys for entertainment.

Growing up at Haripad in Alappuzha district, it was natural for John to play with what was available in the surroundings. “I was quite a handful and to keep me occupied, agricultural labourers working in our paddy fields used to show me how to craft these articles,” recalls John. Little did he imagine that the medium would make him a keeper of a vanishing art form.

Once he became a father, John made the same handmade toys for his son, Minon, and daughter, Minto. On his son’s insistence, John came up with more ingenious toys made of palm leaves.

“Coconut palms are part of our lifestyle in Kerala. Roofs used to be thatched palm leaves and woven palm leaves were used for houses, celebrations, and worship. With the advent of concrete houses and flats, we have cut ourselves away from our roots,” says John.