THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Carpentry is hailed as a skill that requires fine craftsmanship, acquired only by long years of practice. But Midhun. S.T, a ninth standard student, has picked up the nuances of the work while a boy, thanks to his talent and dedication. On Monday, Midhun amazed the onlookers at the zonal competitions of India Skills Kerala 2020 when he worked fast on a small piece of wood to give expression to his imagination and dexterity.
Hailing from a family of modest means, Midhun grew up watching his father’s skill in the profession. He learned the ropes of the work by helping his father, and in due course started creating woodworks of various forms and shapes on his own. Not with standing his tender age, Midhun proves that not just carpentry but every job has its own dignity, merit and scope to innovate.
Unlike many of his peers hankering after technology-aided skills, Midhun opted for his family’s traditional calling to exhibit his talent at the five-day zonal competitions of the India Skills Kerala 2020, which started in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode on January 27.
The multi-tier India Skills Kerala competitions are being organised by the Industrial Training Department (ITD) and the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), both under the State Labour and Skills Department.
A student of Government Technical High School, Krishnapuram in Kayamkulam, Midhun is the youngest participant of 17 contestants in theSouth Zone competitions in Carpentry, heldat the Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Attingal, here.
Barring Midhun and another student of VHSE, Vattiyoorkavu, all other contestants in carpentry were ITI students.
Earlier, in a science fair, Midhun’s skill and workmanship grabbed the eyeballs of those present when he came out with various models of pistols and guns carved in wood. He had also received ‘A’ grade in Still Model in the State Technical School Youth Festival held in Kannur last year.
According to his father Sunil, his son who wants to be active every time, used to help him in his work on holidays. On the norms of the competition, Vineeth, Inspector, Carpentry, ITI, Chackai, said they would assess the participants’ skill by analyzing such aspects as their aptitude in working on woods, joining methods, straight and curved cuttings etc.
Participants from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha are competing in the South Zone competitions. Besides Carpentry, Govt. ITI, Attingal hosted disciplines such as Cabinet Making, Plumbing and Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Welding, Electrical Installations, Electronics, and Joinery competitions.
The preliminary district-level competitions of the event had concluded on January 20. In the previous edition, competitions were held in 20 skills. This has been steeply increased to 42, which include 20 academic skills and 22 specialised skills.
The zonal competitions will be followed by grand state-level finale from February 22 to 24, at Swapna Nagari, Kozhikode. State-level winners will get Rs One lakh each as prize money, and runners up Rs 50,000. All finalists will get Rs 10,000 each.
The state-level winners will qualify for the national competitions and the prize-winning performers at the national round will get an opportunity to represent the country at the World Skills 2021 in Shanghai, China.
