A Christmas tree of small coins
Manama : For 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.”
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 displayed at the parish. Varghese is also an amateur photographer.
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