M.T. Vanithasree, an expert in making manikka malai (a special garland of flowers), is one of the craftsmen who showcased their talent to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mamallapuram.
She, along with her family, also went to Mumbai to decorate the puja room of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on the occasion of his daughter’s wedding. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt her trade a severe blow.
“The flower market in my village Thovalai, a flower hub, was closed because of the lockdown. There is a sudden shortage of flowers. The earnings from all the weddings and temples festivals in the Tamil month of Panguni, Chithirai and Vaikasi, which would be enough for us to sail through a year, were cancelled. What sustained us was the free rice and the financial assistance from the government,” said Ms. Vanithasree, who is an engineer by training and teaches at a local engineering college.
Ms. Vanithasree belongs to a family of garland-makers specialising in the art of manikka malai at Thovalai in Kanniyakumari district. The entire village is involved in the trade of flower and garland-making, but not all can make manikka malai. Her father Muthamperumal is a State government award winner and grandfather L. Madasamy Pandaram won the national award from the Union Ministry of Textiles in 1988.
Her family daily sends a manikka malai for the decoration of the ‘utsavar’ (the processional deity) of the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. “The work ensured a regular income. But the suspension of transport from Tamil Nadu and Kerala made it impossible for us to send garlands. This affected our income. We resumed it only a month ago,” said Ms. Vanithasree, a fifth generation artiste.
She said that in Mamallapuram, the schedule for the Prime Minister and the Chinese President was to meet artisans from Thanjavur. “However, both of them turned towards me as soon as they entered the venue. Probably the scent and beauty of flowers and garlands would have attracted them. Mr. Modi explained the importance of flowers in our culture, and that was what I could understand from my little knowledge of Hindi,” she recalled.
She said manikka malai is made of oleander flowers and the leaves of notchi, a plant known for its medicinal value. “We use rose petals for making garlands for weddings. For temples, we will use oleander and notchi,” said Ms. Vanithasree, whose family, including her daughter and son, visited Rajasthan to demonstrate their skills at the World Association of Floral Art in February.
The making of manikka malai is a skilful art as it involves making separate strands before weaving them together to give a wholesome appearance. “We use the thread of the grass that is used to make carpets. An expert like my father can complete a one-and-a-half-foot -long garland in three hours. It will take four hours for others in the family to finish it,” said Ms. Vanithasree, who has trained her daughter Dharani and son Muthu in the art.
