Gwalior: They say art has no age. Many a time people have proven this, Gwalior resident Vimal Jain, who is 70 years old, too has proved that age is a just a number and nothing else.
At the age when people retire and think of living a comfortable life with their children, even at that age, Vimal jain is honing his art of carving on the thin glass of an electric bulb. Vimal Chandra is 70 years old and even today he engraves fine letters on the glass bulb with the help of a chisel and a hammer. The letters are also so small that it is not so easy for a common man to read it. But for Vimal Jain, it is as easy as pie.
At the age of 70, the hands and feet of most people start trembling. The eyes too become weak. But Vimal Jain's passion for engraving words and pictures on glass bulbs defies age. He has, in fact, engraved the Namokar Mantra, Jainism's most significant mantra, on the glass of a bulb with his beautiful handwriting. He is known for this skill of his not only in this city but in also other cities in the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Udaipur.
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Vimal Jain said that his family has been in the utensils business since the very beginning. When he was young, he used to work in utensil shops. At that time, it was a practice to write names and addresses on utensils. About 55 years ago, there was no machine to write names on utensils. So, names and addresses were written with hammer and chisel on utensils. Vimal Jain said that, 55 years ago, he too picked up a hammer and chisel to write names and addresses on utensils. However, as time passed, an urge grew to try something new. That was when he started carving something on the glass bulb with hammer and chisel. What started off as a hobby became his skill.
Vimal Jain has been honoured a number of times for his skill across the country. From Kolkata to Delhi to Mumbai, people have appreciated his art. His talent is also discussed abroad. Though he is now 70, he still carves out words and figures on glass bulbs with his soft hands.
The septuagenarian says that today's young generation should also set their own goals and achieve these through sheer dedication and willpower. He says that no skill is learned easily. For this, penance, hard work and dedication are required.
Vimal Jain is now teaching this skill to his family as well. The idea is to keep this art for generations to come.
