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Monday, December 19, 2016
For Thomas Varghese
nothing is insignificant
The Christmas tree, centre, on display at Jannusan Sports Centre
DT News Network
Manama
or Thomas Varghese a
thing of beauty is a joy
for ever. Every Christmas he
comes up with an ingenious
gift for the people of Bahrain. This year, as he completes
35 years in the kingdom,
he has created a beautiful
Christmas tree using small
coins.
He has meticulously crafted
the tree as well as stars using
the five and 10 fils that he
had collected all his life in the
kingdom.
The coins that are
considered by many as
‘useless’ have been converted
into (pun intended) beautiful
art.
“Every year I create a thing
of beauty using materials
which some people consider
worthless and my artistic
creations have an underlying
message which people should
not miss,” said the Indian
who works as an in charge at
the Jannusan Sports Centre
where the special tree is now
displayed.
“The materials (used)
for my art works are things
considered worthless like
oyster shells, or laundry
hangers that are usually
thrown away after use.
“But my aim is to turn these
into valuable works of art to
make people realise its value
and change their perception
of life.
“My idea is based on the
Biblical thought that God
will help the downtrodden to
come back to normal life.” F
Thomas Varghese with the Christmas tree made of five and ten fils
Varghese explained that
recently when India scrapped
its currencies of INR500 and
INR1000, people realised how
important were the coins
that till then was considered
‘worthless.’
“That was my inspiration
for choosing small coins
available in the kingdom to
create an artistic piece.’’
‘‘I have noticed and
experienced the fact that in
certain supermarkets, the
cashier at the counter does not
even bother to give the change
if it is just five or 10 fils,” he
told DT News.
“They think that such coins
have no value and if at all I
ask for the change I am looked
down upon with ridicule.
“We have to change
this attitude. Nothing is
insignificant.” Varghese thanked his
friends who donated their
coins for creating the
Christmas tree that stands at
almost seven feet in length.
A total number of 8800 coins
worth BD80 has been used to
make the tree.
“I collected the coins and
polished it till it turned bright
and stuck it to the Christmas
tree structure made of iron
grills,” he explained.
“It is a task that required
utmost care and patience and
for days I spent time shaping
it in the night when everyone
was asleep at home.”
On Thursday he had
displayed the tree at the
venue of ‘This is Bahrain’ at
Riffa that was organised by
the Bahrain Federation of
Expatriate Associations in
connection with the Bahrain
National Day.
It has caught the admiration
of all visitors.
Varghese, who tries to be
a regular at exhibitions, has
represented his creativity in
various ways including once
creating a Christmas tree out
of discarded cloth hangers five
years ago.
On another occasion,
he used over 750 discarded
oyster shells to create a special
tree, sending a message that
anything ugly can be turned
into a thing of beauty with a
dash of creativity.
“When we look around us
we see many people who are
rejected and neglected due
to their social and financial
limits,” he said.
“When we look through the
world’s eye, we may be weak,
either financially, socially or
physically; but in God’s view,
all are equal .
“This holiday season I want
to spread the message of love
and equality for all.”
His family consists of wife
Annamma Varghese and two
sons - Tony and Rony, both
accountants.
Rony is employed at Ahmed
Mansoor Al A’Ali Group in
Bahrain while Tony lives in
Kampala in Uganda.
The tree will be exhibited at
the Bahrain Marthoma Parish
on December 23 during the
Christmas carol service.
This is the artist’s sixth
creation to be display at the
parish. Varghese is also an
amateur photographer. “Every year I create a thing of beauty using materials
which some people consider worthless and my
artistic creations have an underlying message which
people should not miss,” said Thomas Varghese, an
Indian who works as an in charge at the Jannusan
Sports Centre where the special tree is now displayed