Written by Raakhi Jagga |Updated: November 14, 2019 8:10:53 am
A farmer creates art objects using rubber slippers to discuss social change
It was in 2009 that Rathi began devoting time to his art. Now he has over 45 models of tractors and trucks in his museum Rathi Kala Kendra, which he has set up on the Mansa-Bathinda main road, three kilometres away from the village.
FOR 38-year-old Gurmeet Singh Rathi, the day begins early, as he sets out to work on his five-acre land in Burjrathi in Mansa district of Punjab. Rathi also installs barriers in the fields of farmers to stop tube well water from flowing from one village to another. While farming provides livelihood for him and his family, it does not give Rathi the same excitement as art, which he pursues in the evening, when he makes miniature models of tractors, trucks and items related to Punjab’s heritage, culture and social issues — all from rubber slippers. Rathi spends hours cutting the slippers into desired shapes, joining the parts with adhesive and painting the miniature models with fabric colours. “It is all a labour of love, a passion that I have followed since childhood. It takes me close to a week to complete a work. On days that I am very busy, and am unable to devote time to art, I find something is missing from my life. Earlier I used to work with discarded slippers, but now I buy new slippers for my work,” says Rathi. He adds that since he was three he has been fascinated with creating things with his hands, especially using slippers, as the material gives him a lot of flexibility.
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