MERCES: In 1980, a young Amin Suttar moved to Goa to pursue his passion for carpentry. Coming from a lineage of skilled craftsmen, his father, a master carpenter from rural Dharwad, was renowned for his expertise in crafting wooden trusses, beams (paati), rafters (vanxe), and purlins (kaambi) used in traditional homes. However, his father’s work catered primarily to the old-timey C-shaped clay tiles, now a relic of the past.
In Goa, Amin quickly noticed the shift to Mangalore tiles and the intricate trusses and roofing of Indo-Portuguese homes. These grand houses boasted ornate facades with complex decorative supports for verandas and balconies, requiring a deep understanding of balancing heavy wooden elements under the weight of tiles. Amin mastered this delicate craft, becoming one of the last few carpenters with this knowledge.
Over the decades, as concrete homes became the norm, the demand for tiled roofs dwindled, relegating Amin’s skills to repairs of existing homes. To sustain himself, he joined a construction firm, crafting doors, windows, wardrobes, kitchens, and other wooden elements. Though it provided a steady income, it lacked the excitement and
experimentation of traditional carpentry – Amin says he missed having an outlet for his creativity. During this period, Amin also delved into learning the principles of Goan furniture.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought a slump in carpentry work, but Amin used this time to repair and repurpose old wooden furniture, gaining popularity in the Panjim area, especially among traditional homeowners. “I realised I enjoyed the challenge of this work more than churning out cookie-cutter models of door frames and kitchen cabinets for new apartments,” beams Amin. “This work of salvaging good quality, solid wood from old furniture involves carefully taking the piece apart, stripping and preparing the wood, and then re-imagining it with my client and molding it into a completely new piece,” he explains. “It requires a lot of planning, and sometimes picking out new fabric or additions like rattan and metal fittings - but once these pieces fall into place, the shiny new creation is reward enough,” says Amin, with a smile.
Despite his enthusiasm, Amin is saddened that his only son shows no interest in woodworking. The rise of online furniture sales and factory-made pieces, which benefit from economies of scale, further threaten the livelihood of local carpenters like Amin. The high cost of retail wood and labour only adds to the challenge.
As Amin nears his twilight years, having witnessed decades of industry change, he fears he might be the last of his kind—a master carpenter whose traditional skills are slowly being edged out in the modern world.