Here, big books come out in small volumes

CHENNAI: People's love for small things is unending. The making of miniature books is not new, but what makes K Eswar Kumar different is his passion for this art, using screen printing as the main medium.
When Kumar made 'Thirukkural' in 2005, the 1.5cm-long book weighing 3.9 grams had all the 1,330 verses written by the great poet Thiruvalluvar in it.He then made Mahatma Gandhi's life history weighing just 25 grams in 144 pages. Kumar has recently made Bhagavad Gita in three miniature forms. The miniature books are made using manual screen printing technology, and it's challenging. Works such as cutting and binding are done manually.
"It's my passion for screen printing that led me to miniature books. Making miniature books is an art in itself. It gives me unending possibilities in printing," says Kumar, whose 1mm (millimetre) book on animals gained entry in the Limca Book of Records in 2006. The English and Tamil versions of 'Thirukkural' and the life history of Mahatma Gandhi had also gained entry in the Limca Book of Records in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
It was while watching a TV news in 1999 that Kumar got the idea. "The news was about a miniature book of Quran in Urdu. I thought of making it using screen printing. It took a lot of time, but I didn't give up. A miniature version of 'Thirukkural' took more than a year for me to finish it. But each time I finish one, I get a different perspective about this art form," he said. Kumar even carries with him lenses suitable for reading his miniature books.
Screen printing is a technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink on to a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by blocking stencil. Kumar runs his screen printing unit from a tiny room in Thiruvanmiyur. The room resembles his miniature books when it comes to size. "I do my commercial work in the day and at night I start my miniature book works. It needs a lot of concentration and hard work," he said. Kumar is currently working on a set of 12 books about the leaders in the world, and he wants them to be kept in a matchbox sized shelf.
"There will be scientists, cricket players and politicians in the list. And I have made one on inventor Thomas Alva Edison. I will also make a matchbox-sized shelf that can accommodate all the 12 volumes," he said. Is Sachin Tendulkar in his list? "No, I will go for Don Bradman," he said.