A year and a half ago, immersed in handicraft works at his studio in Kochi, artist Vinoj Pathrose hardly imagined that there would come a day when he would have to convert his studio into something else for survival. He had been doing well professionally until 2020 when the novel coronavirus hit the world. Like everyone else, Vinoj also waited for a while thinking the situation would get back to normal soon. But it didn’t. Rather, he was forced to change his profession.
“Work orders began to reduce after COVID-19 struck. To survive, I turned my studio into a vegetable-cum-cool-drinks shop,” says the artist. Before the pandemic, he used to sell sculptures and other decor for interior designers, advertising companies, handicraft shops and others.

However, his new business lasted only a few months. “I had to close it down because customers could not visit the shop due to the COVID-19 lockdown,” he adds. He used to run a handicraft shop in Mattancherry with a friend, which closed down in February 2020. “Another friend who was planning to open a handicraft shop in Alappuzha had to do the same as COVID-19 adversely affected tourism. It’s a really difficult time for artists,” says Vinoj, who resumed handicraft work after the vegetable business failed.