Name: Kuber Sircar (picture right by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

Age: 74

Claim to fame: Sircar uses his thumbnail to sketch portraits and figures on paper. He has won accolades for making wooden ties, which have an international market. His latest creations are a wooden wrap, which can be worn over a dress, and jewellery from the seeds of Krishnachura.

Early start: “I started etching out figures on cigarette packet foils with my nail when I was in Class X,” says Sircar, an retired employee of UP Export Corporation. “I have no formal training; it’s more of a hobby. I always carry sheets of paper with me and start etching whenever I find an interesting subject.”

He also pens jewellery designs before executing them a couple of days later. “I collect the Krishnachura seeds when I go for my morning walk.”

Wooden ties, some of which are embellished with gold foil and semi-precious stones, have been his most successful creations.

Modus operandi: Sircar’s workshop is a table, scattered with pieces of wood, seeds, colours and even shells. His room is filled with wood carvings of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Ganesh, bicycles and lampshades.

“I designed the wooden wrap for my granddaughter. She can wear it over her dress,” he says. He also makes birds out of sea shells.

“I am a jack of all trades. After retirement, I had a lot of time in my hands, so I felt this was the best way to utilise it.”

Tips for the future: Sircar trains students in wood work, drawing and making birds out of shells. “Art requires a lot of time, perseverance and an eye for detail,” he says.