(Curiosity leading to connections : Michel sharing his art of hand book binding (3/17/2022))
It was a sunny afternoon. I was & am on one of my longest Holiday in ~20 yrs of work-life :).
As I am writing this..it feels so unlike me. And It's now exactly a week into it.
I wonder how everything, everyone - the events (hard and kind ones), the seeker in me, the guidance & help which came my way, the initial friction followed by the ease conspired into the-reality of today.
During this holiday I visited Pondicherry with mom and my friend. We were returning from our Auroville visit and stopped at Tanto Pizzeria. Just now I learned that :
Tanto in Italian means ‘abundance’
and indeed I felt that love in the ambience, the way the staff spoke, the soul satisfying food.
While we were waiting for our order, I thought of taking a look at the corner shop which had a soulful mix of beautifully hand-crafted diaries, candles, gourmets etc. The diaries on the display was a creation of love - sheet by sheet, available in various sizes and decor.
Cylindrical, cubical & moulded in mud pots were small candles which were decorated with pressed dried flowers. All arranged on a white vertical display rack. Surrounded by lush green foliage and shade of huge tall trees which accentuated the serenity of the place.
Totally lost in my thoughts, I happen to pass-by an old fashioned white window with wooden frame and vertical grills. The bright daylight was obstructing my view into the world behind that window so I walked even closer to it. While adapting to that darkness on the other-side of window, Some sort of motion drew my attention and I saw a pair of lean fair hands working on a wooden tool and a few stack of folded printed sheets, at first the setup looked like that of some manual printing machine but it had strings of jute threads. Taking note of this bit of information, my eyes progressed along rest of the physical appearance of that person - a tall forty plus old french guy with partial baldness and slightly longer blond hairs, wearing a red T-shirt and shorts sitting on a wooden chair by that white window, facing his desk and was so absorbed in his work that I had to think a few times to interrupt and seek his permission - if I can walk-in and see what is that he is doing. He was kind enough to let me in.
As I was removing my shoes at the entrance of his workshop, in my heart I felt a sudden rush of gratitude for this 'very moment'... a newness, an introduction to unknown world, one that is artistic, that holds the knowledge of the past, the wholeheartedness of that man's dedication it all felt so bliss-full. As if my journey, time off from work has been blessed.
I walked in to a small front office with a empty desk and chair. Then walked further into Michel's workshop - A small room of 3' x 4' with a wall with two big book Shelf Cabinet, adjacent to it was Michel's desk with books of all sizes and thickness arranged in descending order of their height ..across three quarter length of the room's width, Just a few inches above this arrangement if books was a small tool-set neatly arranged on the wall.
After introducing myself as a customer waiting for her pizza order (@tanto) and a curious being - drawn to what captivated Michel ; i asked what was he doing and what is his workshop all about? In a amused tone but kind and gentle manner Michel opened-up about every small details about his profession of - Hand bound books. He answered each of my numerous questions patiently.
Me : Pointing to the wooden tool, what is that?
Michel : It is a manual book binding tool that I bought from France and pointing to another one lying on floor - this one i got it manufactured locally (India, Chennai)
The art of hand book binding needs a lot of patience to maintain the accuracy of chapters (bundle of few pages that gets stitched together) unlike zhzzzzz zhzzzz drilling a few holes in a bundle of sheets and tie them along with a binding thread. This is more human. Each stage of hand bound book is handled with meticulous care.
Explaining the wooden machine & art of manual binding, he pointed at various parts, hooks, strings, what is known as 'chapters'. He also shared different stages of book binding.
Me : What drew you to this art and where did you learn it?
Michel : I use to do this back in my home country and when I moved to India, I continued. I had learned this from a Japanese lady as a part of her night classes.
(Michael showed a laminated old picture of his instructor - The Japanese lady, himself (his younger-self) and his batchmates)
Me : How long will the books be safe after binding?
Michel : Oh...depending on the quality of paper, a book can be kept for same as a man's lifetime or say even 100 - 200 Yrs
Michel got-up from his seat and approached the the book cabinet to pullout an old leather bound book. The book was of say ~500 pages thick and that of a palm's length.
With pride in his voice, eye reminiscing something from his past, Michel mentioned that this book belonged to his Dad and is easily more than a 100Yr old. Gently caressing the leather cover of the book, he explain that in those days it use to be Goat leather for longitivtiy. He then let me feel the fineness of a sheet of that book between my thumb and index finger....mentioning that back in those days it use to be a fabric and not chemically dyed sheets of paper. And indeed the touch of that sheet was something I never knew existed.
Michel said - Today's world is indeed blessed with technology and information floating 24/7 but if one has never experienced friendship with books.....that man is finished. S/He has not known life.
Michel sandwiched that book between both his palms, held it close to his chest and said, back in the days when I was a child, books were considered the most precious possession and utmost importance was given to preserving them and hence the art of Handbound books came into light.
As I was progressing my conversations with Michel, a few times the waiter from the Pizzaria came calling my name as my order was served and my folks were waiting for me to join them. A few mins later, My friend came to call me & left...after a bit more time my mom came and she also left......
Talking with Michel left my soul enriched & I strange fulfilment had taken-over me.
As a seeing-off gesture & if I can pass on some business to Michel, I asked if he has a visiting card. He searched for one, after finding a card he wrote his personal information on the blank-side of that card.
On the card was the logo of colorful stoke in rainbow shape, with a word written in Tamil in small font and overarching the colourful stroke was the 'V' of Vanaville - Hand Bound Books.
Michel explained that the name is derived from rainbow and he opened his arms in gesture of that of a rainbow arch. I assumed that the name - Vanaville must have originated from french and never bothered much about it.
A few days after returning to my base location - Bangalore. I pulled-out his card and curiosity lead me in searching the meaning for Vanaville on Google.....but all I could get was some song with the word, I then realised that it is a Tamil word...what struck me was how this individual had left all his identity and surrendered, carried only the goodness of the art along with him and purest of memories. My mind went back to the time when he was explaining me the meaning of the logo on his card - the Rainbow and the arch he formed using his long arms.....
I will be forever grateful for this experience in my life, this learning and all that Michel shared with me.
I was extremely tempted to pullout my cellphone and click a few pictures with Michel and of that of his workshop...but my heart guided me to immerse in the purity of those conversations, expressions, emotions being exhibited and felt, to life the transcending life in between eras of those conversations....and as I complete this writeup I only feel peace - one that is felt by the wisdom of 'letting go', of that of acquiring or bringing nothing but just the whole self <3.
