Page 16 CentralBeat / IndianArrivalDay
Ravi Mahase redefines art with his beautiful murtees
By Beena Mahabal
Some people are trained for their profession , others are born with it .
On such person is thirty-nineyear old Ravishankar Mahase , or ‘ Ravi ’ as he is fondly referred by all . A resident of Chase Village in Freeport all his life and an artist by profession , Ravi ’ s job entails making murtees or religious statues of Hindu deities . He sculpts the originals and even repairs and repaints existing ones .
The tagline for his business R & S Murtee world , “ Redefining Art , Resurrecting Culture ” is something Ravi says he is determined to carry out as such skills require time , effort and patience .
Speaking with Central Beat , Ravi says he has been in the murtee making business for the past 16 years .
“ My father , Chaman Mahase , was involved in the murtee making business since he was sixteen years old , he learnt and inherited the trade from his father Bhagoutie Mahase . I entered the field in the year 2001 , when I was twenty three years old … prior to this trade , I worked at United Engineering in Point Lisas as an electrician . I was urged and encouraged by my father to work and join the business so that I would always be self-sufficient .
“ When I started to work with my dad , I started at the bottom of the ladder , the basic ground work . I used to mix mortar and cut steel for fabrication of the murtees . I would honestly state though , that while I learnt methods and ways to create
Murtee artist Ravishankar Mahase of Freeport .
pieces , I believe that it is indeed a gift from the Lord above .”
Ravi says he was never formally trained as an artist despite encouragement to do so by his father .
“ As a testimony to that , my father used to encourage me to do a “ course ” in airbrush painting , but
before that happened , one day on my own , I took the airbrush gun and stared painting a murtee that was already in the process of being completed . When my dad saw that the work was progressing , he further encouraged me to continue . No formal training or courses but like I said this is my gift from God .”
Ravi says that his inspiration comes from his father ’ s work .
“ Growing up , I used to see him turn simple materials such as sand and cement into beautiful works of art . A lot of our work involves not only creating concrete murtees , but we also do repairs and refurbish marble stone murtees and statues , metal pieces and even plastic .”
He says though some pieces may look simple , it takes a lot of patience , materials and skills to make it happen .
A devout Hindu , Ravi says his job has afforded him the opportunity to work throughout the length and breadth of Trinidad repairing and refurbishing hundreds of murtees .
“ My job has taken me to places as far as Biche , Plum Mitan , Moruga and Penal to name a few . While I have done numerous jobs at private homes and temples , I have worked at some historical sites in the country as well such as the well-known Paschim Kashee St James Mandir , the ever popular Triveni Mandir and even the tourist hub in Central , the Temple by the Sea .
“ My father and I even made some of the murtees in the Triveni Mandir and the Temple by the Sea ; also if you were to pass by St . Julien ’ s village in Princes Town , you would notice the second largest Hanuman murtee in the Caribbean which stands at 18 feet tall … that too was made by my father and myself .”
Ravi was brought up in a strong cultural and religious home , his grandfather being the late Sugrim Gangabissoon - a man who authored several religious books including “ An Outline of The Ramayan ” and “ It is Dawn , Awake ” and he says this too played an important role in his decision to become a full time artist involved in both sculpting and painting .
“ Being in the business of making murtees , the murtees of course being religious in nature , I have a better understanding of what I do . I don ’ t paint by guess , but by what I know . My late grandfather always spoke of the importance of not just working hard , but also working for the upliftment of Sanatan Dharma . You see , besides being an author , my grandfather taught Hindi and Religious Education to many students in Central Trinidad . I too was a student of his and from his religious classes , I learnt the details of each deity and what it represented . I held on to this knowledge and of course , I transfer it to my work and pieces .” Having inherited skills and knowledge from both his maternal and paternal sides , Ravi says he intends to pass on his knowledge in detail to both of his children , Raveena , 4 and Ravishankar Junior , 2 .
“ Though they are both very young , they are already being taught religious and cultural traditions , we take them to the temple as often as we can . My father is a musician , he plays instruments such as the Baansuri and harmonium , I am also a musician but I play the dholak and tabla . So even though my son is only two and a half years old , he has already begun to play the dholak as well . I can tell that he , too , has a passion for our culture and who knows he may be the 4 th generation of artists .
“ The walls of my home is proof that both my children try to follow me , my toddler is always pretending that he is airbrushing a murtee , except with crayons ,” the proud father adds .
Ravi says while many may believe that being an artist is not quite a “ real job ”, it is only so when your culture and passion is hidden .
“ The sky is the limit when you are living your dream and when you follow your heart . Every task becomes almost effortless , my motto is Redefining Art , Resurrecting Culture and that is what I always intend to do .”
Lord Hanuman
A rangoli design by Ravi .
Goddess Lakshmi
May 2017