Frazer Andrade
frazerandrade@herald-goa.com
CHANDOR: At 70, Irwin Antão from Culsabhat, Chandor, has found a unique hobby that serves as a creative outlet and also helps him spread the message of sustainability.
Antao, who retired as a Director from the Ministry of textiles in Delhi, has been crafting cloth bags for daily use with a commitment of reducing plastic waste. In a world increasingly aware of the environmental impact of plastic, the need for sustainable alternatives is more pressing than ever. “By making eco-friendly bags for shopping, I not only hope to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics but also contribute to a healthier planet,” says Irwin. These bags, crafted with care and attention to the environmental impact, offer a practical and stylish solution to phasing out the use of plastic covers. Each of Irwin’s bags represents a small but significant step towards a more
sustainable lifestyle, proving that conscious choices can make a big difference. In his free time, Irwin loves publishing technical articles, attending quiz sessions, painting and undertaking surface textile ornamentation.
“After my UPSC selection, I was first posted as a Director in the South and then to the North Eastern region. I was fascinated with their traditional ethnic and tribal costumes, their motifs and culture, which I tried to merge together through textiles in the form of scarfs, sarees, mekhela / chador etc. We conducted many projects to revive their ancient traditional textiles and showcased them at Heimtextil Fair, in Germany. My love for natural dyes and the environment, led me to design eco-friendly fabrics,” he says. After retirement, Irwin also took to canvas painting using oil colours.
“My desire to paint on canvas tote bags started when I witnessed the menace of plastic bags. I started distributing free cotton bags to stores, but I found that these bags were not being reused by the customers – they were often used once and forgotten at home. I wanted to give people a reason to remember and reach for the cloth bag before leaving home. So, I started painting bags with various themes such as cultural festivals and logos representing ecology and sustainable practices,” he recalls.
“During the Covid-19 lockdown, I continued my hobby of painting on canvas tote bags but began attempting more elaborate scenes based on my beautiful heritage village, Chandor, focusing on its traditional feasts and festivals, the Carnival, the Mussholl khel, Kunbi dance and the bridges,” explains Irwin. He also paints the iconic monuments of Goa, unique traditional professions and old transport systems, among others.
On request, Irwin obliges his clientele and makes customised bags as and when required, which have reached far and wide to different countries like UK, France, and Canada, from where he often gets repeat orders. Irwin has plans to work with the Kerala Society focusing on Indigo dyed bags, and textile craftsmen from Auroville in Puducherry as well. “Art on bags moves to different countries and gets carried around town everyday, while canvas paintings, once hung on the wall, remain static,” he says with a smile. Irwin develops his very own acrylic colours resistant to washing and sunlight but never takes bulk orders as he hand paints each bag himself, churning out only around 30- 40 bags in a month, at his own pace. “My aim is to train youngsters and special-needs children in the art of fabric colouration and surface ornamentation. I am looking forward to training a girl without hands in Pernem. I am also working on recycle projects of converting plastics into garments and apply tie-dye traditions like shibori, batik, ombre, tritik, etc, to produce various effects and aesthetics on textiles,” he says.
Irwin says he’s glad that he’s able to devote time to painting these canvas tote bags, despite his consultancy services keeping him busy. “Bulk orders can be undertaken using digital printing but I still feel hand painting has its own richness and character,” he says, adding that his wife assists him with his paintings. Irwin opines that the new generation needs to take pride in their culture, traditions and costumes, they have to spread it far and wide through various media. “My next project is themed on ‘Save Goa’ and ‘Goa through the windows’,” he says, urging everyone to minimise plastic use and carry their own bags to the market.