Woodcarver’s mission to save age-old craft from extinction

Ashis Senapati Kendrapada: Life has been a long journey for 65-year-old Pradyumna Moharana of Lalitgiri village, 20 km from here, to save the age-old wood craft from extinction. Touted as the best woodcarver of Odisha, when Pradyumna‘s gnarled but dexterous fingers carve wood, there is a look of satisfaction on his face. Within three days, he carves out an image of elephant from wood. But to his disappointment, he is one of the last in a long line of craftsmen trapped in a rapidly changing society. Pradyumna carves dolls, images of gods, goddesses and animals. Elaborating on his craft, Pradyumna said, “I use chisels and other instruments to carve wood.

The process needs a lot of concentration and patience. This has been source of my sustenance since childhood. I am determined to save this age-old woodcraft from extinction. So I teach around 15 students from my village and nearby ones for free.” “I inherited this craft from my father. Anyone taking up this craft should really love it. He should be a craftsperson and not be money-minded. Each wooden carving sells from Rs 500 to Rs 1 lakh,” he said.

Pradyumna received a state handicraft award in wood carving in 2011.“I have been learning wood craft from Pradyumna Sir for past six months. Each day, along with 15 students, sit on the ground in the village to learn wood craft. I will be a wood craftsman to follow the footsteps of Pradyumna Moharana,” said Sanjay Barik (22 ) of Lalitgiri village under Mahanga block, one of the students of Pradyumna.“We are infusing life into wood by transforming them into beautiful sculptures., thanks to the efforts of Pradyumna. We learnt this wood craft sculpture,“ said Barsha Das (22), another student of Pradyumna from Lalitgiri village. Wood craft-persons face a threat to its survival with only a few older craft persons like Pradyunma with the skills for creating craft items still remaining. Traditional wood craft has a very rich history.

The tradition had almost disappeared. We are not proud enough of these traditional practices. However , Pradyunma Moharana is trying his best to save this craft by teaching some students, said Gautam Moharana of Lalitgiri.