CHENNAI: A plastic water bottle, it usually seems, has served the purpose of its existence when its contents are quaffed in thirst. Likewise, milk packets are hardly regarded as items of value after their precious contents have been downed in the morning. But to Salma, a 35-year-old Chennaiite, these are precious art paraphernalia. “Why buy artwork when you have so much around you that can be recycled?” argues the artist, who tries to make what she calls eco friendly art. “It is fun to get involved in such activities and let your creativity run wild. I prefer doing such artwork,” says Salma, who hails from Kolkata. So what are the materials she uses for her art work? “Plastic bottles, medicine bottles, plastic bags, milk packets, egg shells, the cartons they come in, old newspapers and just about anything,” she says, listing out items we usually assign no value to. In her hands, these products transform magically — bottles turn into vases, flowers, fashionable earrings or bangles, while the eggshells are worked upon nimbly for creative artwork. “When I moved from Kolkata to Bangalore, I had the opportunity to decorate my house from scratch. When I did not have a vase to place my flowers in, I cut a plastic bottle and decorated it to make a vase.” In the early 2000s, when she moved to Chennai, Salma spent two years honing her skills in this area by training from popular artist A V Ilango. She later became a freelance art teacher and worked for a few schools, including Rosary Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Al Qamar International School. There she taught kids to make stands out of bottles and decorate them with glass paint. “The kids were so fascinated that they went a step ahead and tried art with chocolate wrappers! Kids are quick learners and it makes me very happy,” she says. Salma also conducts eco art training to individuals as well as colleges and corporate houses.Salma runs a nursery at her residence where she nurtures different saplings like tomatoes, capsicums, chillies and lady’s finger, and gives them free of cost to interested persons. Her children Zayd and Zahin, ten and four-and-a-half years old respectively, are not attached to their televisions sets, computers or video games. When they have time to spare, they collect plastic bottles and make creative things out of them. “We have a TV at home, but my children aren’t interested in it.” It is Salma’s belief that it is the responsibility of children to help create a greener environment, and her children sure take it seriously.
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