Thrissur woman turns front yard into children's wonderland with recycled art

For children in Koorukuzhi, Kaipamangalam, 45-year-old Seena Salam's front yard is a world of wonder. From frogs and tortoises to an aeroplane and a helicopter, her creations have transformed the premises of her home into a playground, with one thing in common- they are all made from recycled materials.

Seena, who lives on a 13.5-cent plot, began creating these structures during the COVID-19 pandemic after her small business making chips and other food items came to a halt. "During COVID-19, not wanting to sit idle, I made frogs out of plastic bottles for a pond I had previously built," Seena told Onmanorama.

Encouraged by the appreciation of her neighbours, she began making more items, including tortoises, different types of pigeons, ducks laying eggs, rabbits and frogs seemingly engaged in conversation. She uses a variety of discarded materials, including sticks, pieces of cloth, paper, plastic bottles, thermocol and old tyres, to bring her ideas to life.

Soon, children from the neighbourhood started visiting her house. "I then decided to create another pond where children could play, especially those whose parents were hesitant to take them to open water bodies for fear of accidents," she said.

One of her most notable creations is an aeroplane placed on a specially built runway. The idea came from her son, who jokingly suggested that she make a plane after seeing the boat she had created earlier. "I spent weeks thinking about how to build the structure using recycled materials. I did not want to spend much money either," Seena said. She used poles to create the basic structure, covered it with cloth and used a little cement to make it sturdy. "I also built a runway for the aeroplane," Seena said.

Her creations soon began drawing visitors from neighbouring anganwadis and schools, which started bringing children to her home. Artist Da Vinci Suresh was the first notable visitor to appreciate her work. "It was a great honour for me when he visited my house and appreciated my art," she said.

Recently, Congress leader T N Prathapan invited her to make a memento for Chief Minister V D Satheesan during a book release ceremony. "Since we are from the coastal region, I made a boat for the Chief Minister using a cardboard box, fishing net and poles," she said. She also makes handmade gifts for people who visit her home.

She has now built three ponds, a boat, an aeroplane, a helicopter, a tree house and an ornamental earthen pitcher using papier-mache, besides several animal figures. "More children are expected to visit my house on November 14 to celebrate Children's Day," Seena said.