Pride Of the Art

While going from Port Blair to mayabunder through the Grand Andaman Trunk Road we came to the ‘Karen’ settlement just before MayaBunder in North Andamans. ‘Karens’ are a hill tribe originally from ‘Mynamar’ some of which like others inconvenient to the colonial masters of the yore  were settled in Andaman Islands  after being deported from the then ’Burma’.

karen tribal kid. Mayabunder

These beautiful people are survivors of the forest, skilled hunters and fishermen and exquisite craftsmen with their skills reflected in beautiful objects of Cane, Bamboo and Coconut wood, leaves and bark.

Beautiful Furniture at Andaman

Our guide led us to the house of an elderly gentleman about 55 years of age with flawless skin and eyes gentle as a doe. I was left wondering to myself as to how the ilk of such a gentle soul could have been deported to nowhere by the colonial masters for alleged mutiny. Nevertheless, this kindly gentleman with  a finesse unlike anything I had seen before showed us such beautiful furniture that I was tempted to buy them even at a risk of having to negotiate almost impossible challenge of having to transport it from Andamans to my abode at Delhi.

Different Artwork

As luck would have it my bargaining instinct stirred up and I started bargaining for these works of art. The old man bore with me for a while and played along. However at some point during the conversation he must have thought my attitude an insult to his art and he just broke off the conversation saying that ‘I just do not want to sell it to you’. He did not relent even when I agreed to pay his originally demanded price. Possibly the gentleman’s pride in his art was hurt.

Andaman Beaches

Avis Island, Mayabunder

This in a place like ‘Mayabunder’ where a customer must be someone, seen in many-many days, was indeed very humbling to see. I was left wondering about the beneficial effects of tourism on the local crafts as much as, possible erosion of the pride in self and in the art which the commerce of it all may entail. I do salute that gentleman for the lesson he taught me in respect for the art that needs to take precedence over sometimes unnecessary instinct to bargain that seems to take hold of us when trying to acquire that exquisite piece of art from a native craftsman.

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