BuDa: Our master Artisans -Hanmi

Hanmi - a talented creative master artisan

Hanmi is from the bank of the river Sharavathi. She may never have visited a school of design or literature but she is a master in oral folk literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata and she is master artisan in the folk art ShediKale. She is also very creative and a deft artisan when it comes to weaving grass mats or torans from paddy shoots.On observing Hanmi and her work closely, it may be seen that her creativity and craft is so closely connected with the land and the nature where she lives.

If the unexplored,untouched and dying folk art called ShediKale is still surviving it is because of Hanmi. Within minutes she has a very detailed graffiti using arecanut fiber and colors that she sourced from the earth.This ritualistic art has no place in their community because the rituals are not in practice. Now it is surviving as an art form in Hanmi's creative hands because she values it. (Pl see the article Shedikale in this blog)

Hanmi is a visiting artisan, a resource person and an art professor at buDa folklore research center. Students call her Hanmkka. She is fun,affectionate and a very strict teacher.

mat weaving with Shibumi ,Bangalore students

With Srishti School of Fashion.Design and technology

At The Valley School,(K.F.I.)Bangalore

With Karnataka university students

Over the last four years more then 900 students have interacted with Hanmi and she is one of the main resource person at our Folklore Center .

She makes beautiful mats and containers with the river reeds from Sharavathi river bank.,She makes pot holders with paddy hay which is also a dying skill as people have stopped using earthen pots.