REVIVING THE ART OF WOOD CARVING
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| Karma Lama is one of the most skillful artisans of Sauraha. His skill of carving beautiful wooden rhinos and elephants is commendable indeed. Photo-LB Thapa |
REVIVING THE ART OF WOOD CARVING
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| Most of the visitors to Sauraha do not only buy rhinos but also a pair of elephants Photo-LB Thapa |
Artisans are always respected all over the world because what they can do is not everybody’s cup of tea. History is a witness to how famous artists spent their lives improving certain skills. Let’s say we paint horses. Great painters like Edgar Degas, George Stubbas, Theodore Gericault, John Freederick, and Cruz Azaceta had devoted their lives to capturing the different moods of the horses. Today, their paintings of horses have become legends in the history of painting.
Like these painters of the west, the artisans in Sauraha are known for chiseling beautiful rhinos and elephants out of wood. Many woodcarvers in Sauraha have taken making wooden rhinos and elephants as their only livelihood. However, such legendary woodcarvers of Sauraha are now reluctant to carry on the tradition any more. Due to a lack of proper market protection and encouragement from the government, once flourishing trade is now dying slowly.
Among many artisans who have dedicated their lives to making wooden rhinos and elephants in Sauraha, one name is very popular. He is Karma Lama, originally hailing from Ramechhap, who is considered the best artisan in Sauraha. Mr. Lama has successfully built a reputation for himself as a highly skilled woodcarver. Speaking with this scribe, one of the shopkeepers in Sauraha said, “If you see the most attractive wooden rhinos and elephants in the shops of Sauraha, they are made by none other than Karma Lama.”
“I am from a poor family background in Ramechhap. Due to such circumstances, I could not continue my school education. I had more pressing needs to fulfill than continuing my education in school. I, therefore, left home in search of a possible livelihood. For a few years, I wandered around and tried my hands at every possible job that came my way. Meanwhile, I realized that without education, I could not get a better job. After having spent a few years recklessly, I reached Kathmandu, where I took an interest in Thanka Painting. I settled in Bhaktapur, where I spent 25 years of my life polishing my skill in Thanka painting. Well, how I happened to come to Sauraha is an interesting story to tell," said Lama with a broad smile on his face.
It is really
quite interesting to know how a man who spent 25 years of his life in Thanka
Painting, suddenly decided to change his interest in woodcarving, a skill that
he knew nothing about until then. 
Karma Lama has a small shop in Sauraha. Photo-LB Thapa
“My friends
and relatives did not like my idea of leaving Kathmandu for Sauraha. They
immediately declared that I made a disastrous decision, which I would regret
for sure in the future. In fact, during that time, I was regarded as one of the
best Thanka painting artists in Bhaktapur, but deep down, I was not at ease. A
sense of incompleteness and discontentment did always reign over me. Then one
day I had been to Sauraha with my wife to experience wildlife at Chitwan
National Park. We enjoyed elephant riding into the dense forest of the park.
After the elephant ride, I wanted to buy something very special for Sauraha. About
that time, I saw some wooden rhinos and elephants. I immediately liked them. I
bought a few rhinos and elephants. After holding those rhinos and elephants in
my hands, I was very happy and satisfied like never before. I could never draw
such satisfaction and happiness from Thanka Paintings. At once I took a vow to
spend the rest of my life making wooden rhinos and elephants," revealed
Lama. 
Such a beautiful rhino can only be made by Karma Lama in Sauraha. Photo-LB Thapa
Leaving an established trade aside and adopting a new profession was not that easy at all. Mr. Lama immediately came under severe criticism from all quarters of people. “My wife supported me at a time when everyone criticized my plan to quit woodworking. She stood by my decision, as she had full confidence in my dedication and commitment. I sailed against the tide of time, and eventually I got what I had dared to dream. In the long run, I proved my wife right," said Lama with a sense of pride and confidence.
In the
beginning, life in Sauraha was full of hardships. Lama had no supporting
income, and Thanka Painting had no demand in Sauraha. It was time when he had
to borrow money from his friends and relatives to make both ends meet. In the
meantime, he received normal training in woodcraft from Ratnamani Brahmacharya.
The training was organized by Mirga Kunja, a part of Chitwan National Park. 
The visitors always buy at least one rhino and one elephant as souvenir before leaving Sauraha. Photo-LB Thapa
“We were 12 people who received special training in woodcrafts. Our training was limited to only 15 days. It was only a basic level. I wanted to receive advanced-level training, but the organizer never arranged advanced-level training. Without advanced level training, I used my intuition and basic knowledge to improve my skills. I must admit that I improved my skills mostly through the process of trial and error. Today, I am the only person continuing the tradition. However, many others disappeared into thin air. In the beginning, when time was unfavorable and I was struggling to make ends meet, I did not give in because I knew that one day I would succeed. Well, to support my family, I continued Thanka Paintings and sold them in Pokhara and Kathmandu," said Lama.
It was Lama’s sheer hard work and dedication that took his art to another level. But Lama was never satisfied, as he always wanted to improve the quality of his wooden rhinos and elephants. For that, he would never hesitate to do experiments with wood and sometimes with his skill as well.
At a time when Lama was passing through a critical phase of time, one day Binod Khanal, a prominent shopkeeper from Gorkha, visited his shop and appreciated wooden rhinos and elephants crafted by Lama. Mr. Khanal showed interest in those rhinos and elephants and asked Lama to sell them in Gorkha. Lama was very happy with such an unexpected offer. However, Khanal put a condition before Lama and said that he would make payment only after selling all rhinos and elephants.
“I had no choice but to accept the offer. I was a new artisan, and there was quite a small market for such rhinos and elephants in Sauraha. I accepted the offer, packed all my tiny wooden rhinos and elephants, and handed them over to Khanal. Only after a week did I receive a phone call from Mr. Khanal, who informed me that he sold all the rhinos and elephants in less than one week and that he wanted more. That was a pleasant surprise for me. This feat of success encouraged me to make more such rhinos and elephants.”.
The demand for rhinos and elephants made by Lama was picking up gradually. By this time, Lama had stopped Thanka Painting and devoted his full time to making different sizes of rhinos and elephants. "Mostly, I make small and medium-sized rhinos and elephants. However, I only make big rhinos and elephants on demand because they are expensive. The price of rhinos and elephants depends on their sizes, quality of wood, and decoration. A big-size quality rhino or elephant can cost around Rs. 40,000 to above Rs. 100,000”.
Over the years, Lama has carved a niche as the best artisan of Sauraha, and this has become possible due to his hard work and perseverance. Lama is generous and wants the younger generation to take an interest in woodcrafts. Until now, he has trained several young men and women, but only a handful of them have taken this skill professionally.
When asked why younger generation does not stick to this skill for long time, he said, “Today’s generation wants to achieve quick results and that is not possible in the field of art. It is more like doing a penance... I mean, one has to spend a great deal of time doing relentless practice to achieve a degree of quality, but today’s generation does not have patience, and this is the reason why they give up practicing this skill after a few months or years.”
“Ever since machine-made rhinos and elephants have been available on the market, the sale of handmade rhinos and elephants has plummeted. Machine-made rhinos and elephants are made of low quality wood, and they are devoid of aesthetic beauty, which can only be found on handmade rhinos and elephants. We use Chanp wood, which is the best wood to make fine-quality rhinos and elephants. In the absence of machine-made wooden rhinos and elephants, we could make good money out of our sale. However, nowadays, the overall sale of handmade rhinos and elephants has gone drastically low. Literarily speaking, without protection, such a traditional skill is now on the verge of disappearing," lamented Lama.
Handmade wooden rhinos and elephants look awesome, and they are the special trademark of Sauraha handicrafts. Artisans like Lama are a few who still cling to such traditional skills. Many woodcarvers have already left this profession permanently, and now they are abroad or involved in other professions. If the government does not wake up in time and take the necessary steps to encourage these artisans, great artisans like Lama will no longer remain in this profession for sure.
The state
must provide a better working environment and help them sell their products at
home and abroad. Let’s not forget that for centuries, Nepal has been known for
brilliant woodcrafts and stone sculptures. People like Lama are the assets of
the nation. Helping these artisans does mean protecting and preserving the
vanishing art of the country.
LB Thapa is the editor and publisher of The Hemingway Post.
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