Alappuzha artist crafts toys out of palm leaves

John Baby twists and folds a long strip of coconut palm leaf. In a few minutes, he transforms the strip into an elegant grasshopper. He soon makes another and the two grasshoppers look like they are ready to leap.

‘No’ to plastic

It began years ago, when John started making toys for his children Minon and Minto, both of whom were homeschooled. “My wife and I did not want to give them plastic toys, so I had to make whatever they asked for using palm leaves. This included excavators, which they liked.”

Born in Harippad in Alappuzha, John spent his childhood playing in fields. His father, a farmer and businessman, took him around on his travels and John learnt the art of crafting from the workers in the fields, who used to weave palm leaves to make mats. “Everything that man has built today began with the hands. Creating something by hand is a primal thing. Every human being has this innate ability. It is just that we have grown far away from it. We swipe on our mobile phones with our fingertips, we do not create anything new with them.”

Crafting workshops

Up until the pandemic, he used to take classes in crafting at the Kerala State Institute of Design. John conducts workshops for children and adults. “Working with hands sparks creativity. It helps one eliminate laziness.”

John speaks of the meditative quality of crafting. Working with hands instills patience, concentration, a sense of tolerance and a habit of hard work, he says. “If children are initiated into crafting at an early age, they would be able to pick up these qualities.

Resorts and hotels that organise sustainable events using eco-friendly products often seek John’s help to make decor products out of leaves. Currently living in an apartment in Kochi, John says palm leaves are not as easy to come by. He is planning a few workshops for children and adults this summer.