A coronary heart assault pushed Goa’s Xavier Fernandes to pursue his ardour for crafting superb Christmas cribs from driftwood discovered on the seashore.

Straying away from the common items just like the sugar-loaded sweets and fancy truffles which are part of Christmas custom, Goa’s Saturnino Rodrigues zeroed in on a singular resolution. 

The reply? Cribs made out of driftwood to loosen up his family members. However what left him so fascinated was the individuality of the wooden used to carve these cribs.

“Driftwood is mature wooden that’s discovered floating within the sea. The wooden makes these items final because it doesn’t get rotten and turn out to be a memorable present for others,” the 60-year-old, who purchased three Christmas cribs from their maker, Xavier Fernandes, tells The Higher India.

“With individuals turning into well being acutely aware, it’s not a really beneficial alternative to supply sweets and truffles that value hundreds. I consider that cribs might turn out to be the finest items that we might give to any individual,” he provides.

Saturnino opines that Xavier is well-known within the area for his cribs. “His artworks are so fascinating. From selectively selecting driftwood by way of its form and high quality to conceptualising the ultimate creative product is intriguing,” he provides.

We sat down with Xavier to learn the way he crafts essentially the most beautiful Christmas cribs.

‘Now, I knew I wanted to cease’

After finishing his education in commerce, Xavier needed to pursue larger research however he was compelled to drop out of faculty due to household’s monetary crises. Earlier than venturing into craftworks, he labored overseas for about 25 years in a number of nations, together with Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Oman.

Beginning with a menial job in courier service, he upgraded himself to an administrative position in an oilfield firm in Oman. However the work, Xavier says, was too taxing.

About six years again in 2017, the 54-year-old had a cardiac arrest.

“I used to be dwelling by myself. My mates needed to rush me to the hospital. I didn’t wish to work abroad anymore. I needed to return to India, to my household. Additionally, the oilfield firm doesn’t allow individuals with cardiovascular points to work. So, anyway, I moved again to Goa,” he says.

Coming again to his household, he took his time to resort to a wholesome, stress-free life-style.

“Put up the center assault, my blood stress stored capturing up from time to time. Now, I knew I wanted to cease. So, I made a decision to take an early retirement,” he provides.

Amid all this, Xavier would often go to the seashore to seek out solace. And right here’s the place he discovered his life’s function.

Reuniting along with his lengthy misplaced craft on the seashore

It was a wet day in September 2018 when Xavier stumbled upon a log that had drifted from the seashore. “I picked it up and stored analysing it for a while. That is after I remembered how I used to carve craft gadgets from wooden in my childhood similar to my father,” he shares.

“My father was very creative. He was a authorities servant however he used to seek out a while to make craft gadgets. I used to observe him making paintings utilizing coconut shells and wooden,” he recollects.

That day, Xavier introduced the log of wooden house. As Christmas was across the nook, he tried to carve cribs out of the wooden. Final yr, he ventured into commercialising these cribs and managed to promote 80 models.

Explaining the method of carving cribs from driftwood, he says, “Since January, I begin accumulating driftwood. As I get every kind of wooden from the ocean, I selectively select driftwood as per their weight. This sort of wooden may be very mature and lasts for years.”

“After taking them house, I dip them in clear water, peel their pores and skin, after which maintain them within the daylight to dry. Round October, I begin carving crafts from wooden. Later, I varnish and polish the wooden to provide it a shiny look and defend it from scratches,” he provides.

After the ultimate product is prepared, Xavier decorates the cribs with miniatures of Jesus Christ, Mom Mary, and the smart males. Aside from the cribs, he additionally makes artwork items like wells, wall clocks, miniature bullock carts, and racks with pottery from driftwood.

Xavier says that it takes him as much as three days to make a crib. “I attempt to not have the same search for all my cribs. It anyway depends upon the driftwood additionally. It is extremely intrinsic work and requires a variety of persistence, method, and talent. It isn’t straightforward to carve creative works from a log of wooden. It could look straightforward to make, however it requires a variety of detailing,” he provides.

With the assistance of his household and neighbours, Xavier has managed to promote his cribs in Mumbai and to Canada and the UK.

Regardless that right this moment Xavier dedicates as much as 12 hours a day to crafting handmade cribs, he’s fascinated by this long-lost ardour. “In my earlier jobs, I used to work for about eight hours a day. However the desk job was very demanding. Right now, I don’t get exhausted even whether it is about accumulating wooden by strolling for so far as 5 kilometres,” he says.

“It provides me immense satisfaction and happiness after I see the ultimate product. I’m able to pursue my childhood ardour and earn an revenue out of it at this age – what might be extra superb than that?” he asks.

Edited by Padmashree Pande. All photographs: Xavier Fernandes, Saturnino Rodrigues.