Craftsman carves unique box for relics of saints

Thiruvananthapuram: A craftsman in the city is overwhelmed with joy as he has designed a unique box in which the relics of Blessed Fr Chavara Kuriakose Elias and Blessed Sr Euphrasia were carried to Vatican for their canonisation on Sunday.

But initially when the craftsman, Mr V.V. Suresh Kumar,  got the order to design the box, he was unaware of the historic significance of the work.

Fr Mathew Arekkalam, priest of the CMI congregation which runs the Christ Nagar school, had  approached Mr Hari,  the owner of a handicraft showroom in the city, for a special box. 

The children of Mr Hari  are studying in the Christ Nagar school.  Mr Hari thereafter contacted Mr Suresh Kumar, his friend and  a  master craftsman specialised in designer boxes.   

It was only after the details of the box were  communicated to him that  Mr Suresh Kumar realised that it was for carrying the relics to Vatican.

Mr Suresh Kumar said that the 9X6 inch box was made of rosewood and decorated with brass. The top portion of the box has glass covering to ensure that  people can see the relics inside.