Glass act

KOCHI: A strong believer in A P J Abdul Kalam's words of dreaming big, Prabhakaran Kanichar, a glass artist from Kannur district thought of taking the former president's speech seriously. Now, this Malayalee artist holds a patent to create a glass art museum, the first of its kind in Indian history.The glass art museum, according to Prabhakaran is a concept he hopes will soon become a reality. Born into a poor family, this Oman-based Malayalee has come a long way. "I struggled for years. I was just this boy, who drew paintings on walls to earn a living. Slowly, I discovered all about stained art glass paintings, and realised its potential to capture life in a way that can be quite different from other forms of paintings."Prabhakaran Kanichar who trained at Madras Fine Arts College, is no amateur anymore. He is one among the most recognised stained glass artistes in the international arena. Living in Muscat for nearly 20 years now, he absorbed himself into his vocation, learning Arabia art and tinting it into glass work. "I had absorbed the Islamic art quite well and began to draw for the King's family." he tells us.And gauging his skill at glass art, a technique which Italians and the French are more adept at, he was gladly accepted into the Arabic circle.  Standing tall in the palaces of the Arabic Sheikhs are Prabhakar's running horse paintings, Islamic caricatures and pictures of Omani pottery and the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, for which he has earned a lot of awards.At present, his portfolio includes the works of Lord Budha, both stained glass and 3-D acid etched which he drew when he travelled to India's neighbouring island, Sri Lanka. Also, there are biblical paintings, a Khajuraho exhibit, paintings of birds and animals and human figures. Stained glass painting as a concept might seem quite simple, but the artiste does point at its pitfalls. "We deal with acid and glass all the time. If we get careless, it can hurt badly," Prabhakaran says with a smile.Ask him why he chose to return to India and leave a country that gave him so much exposure, and Prabhakaran says that he sincerely wanted to contribute towards Indian art scene. The art glass museum, which he hopes will soon be set up in Delhi, will have 20 storeys with a globe on top, all made out of glass. In his letter to the Prime Minister, he states that the museum's first floor will have an information office, the rest will capture the pulse of India - be it historical events, science and technology, industrial progress, agriculture, folk lore and food habits. "In India's quest to become a superpower, such a tourism pie, will attract millions world over. It will be like a monument, and a constant reminder to the younger generations of the country's past and the leaders who helped shape it." Prabhakaran, who has met with the likes of the late M F Hussain, hopes to etch on glass India's great leaders, something very few have tried. Prabhakaran is also planning to approach Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with his plan to integrate Kerala's tourism into the museum.