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Rubbish? Not for her

K. Lakshmi

Jalajakumari Elangovan has entered the Limca Book of Records

Jalajakumari Elangovan

CHENNAI: She can find a use for any waste item. A pen stand from a toothpaste cover, a work of art from broken bangles... , the list of the aesthetic and useful articles she has made from rubbish is endless.

Jalajakumari Elangovan, crafts teacher at Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School on Ambattur Redhills Road, recently entered the Limca Book of Records for her art.

Her innovative attempt at making a Ganesha clay idol wrapped in a single thread won mention in the Limca Book of Records in 2005. "I made the 7.6-kg idol within 30 hours at a low cost." Ms. Jalajakumari says.

A diploma holder in Mechanical Engineering, she has always been more interested in handicrafts, and has been involved in setting records for a decade. She says her training in carpentry at the ICF has helped in converting a hobby into a profession.

Her husband Elangovan and Kanniah, a teacher in the ICF, were sources of encouragement in all her endeavours.

Ms. Jalajakumari has also made a two-foot-high Ganesha painting from cereals, and an Arthanareeswarar painting from broken bangles. Her other specialities are vegetable carvings, glass paintings, and making different types of rangoli including those on a water surface and under water. "I have won an award from the Railways Ministry on behalf of the ICF for making `Bharath Matha' from cereals," she says.

Ms. Jalajakumari, who wants to set a Guinness record along with her students, says, "I have also organised `wealth from waste' exhibitions in the other school that I worked for, Valiammal Matriculation School."

Next attempt

Her next attempt at setting a record is by building a house using iron wire. She also plans to set a record with a length related article conveying a public message.

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