In the quiet town of Benoni, Dirk Mortier, is busy with his unique labour of love – designing and building Hindu prayer shrines and personalised kavadies.
Mortier said his business “Shanti’s kovils” was established during the Covid-19 pandemic after he lost his income and turned to his creative side to eke out a living.
The 54-year-old production manager, who has a passion for woodwork, named the business after his Indian wife, Shanti, which means “peace”.
He said he first started his business by making kovils (temples styled as cupboards) and later diversified his offerings.
“I started building kavadies after many customers, who had ordered kovils from me, asked if I could build them kavadies. They said they loved my work and were confident I could deliver on the personalised kavadies,” he said.
“I built the first three kavadies and donated them to a new temple in Benoni together with a custom-made chariot,” said Mortier.
He added that all his designs on the kavadies were done free hand.
“I mastered this skill on my own by just looking at pictures. I learnt the designs from doing research. The rest came as guidance from Mother Kali. And when I found that I still had questions, I turned to my in-laws and my wife, who guided me.”
He said producing each kavady and kovil involved meticulous attention to detail.
“It requires anything from two to five days of labour, depending on the design intricacies. Hand making each kavady, kovil or lampstand is a passion that brings me joy. I use every extra minute, in between my day job, mornings, lunch time, after work and weekends to accomplish this task just to make others happy.
“All the carvings I have done so far have received a ‘wow’ response from my customers. My favourite deity is Mother Kali, which I carve for my kovils,” he added.
He said Shanti, 54, who was married to him for 11 years, and was formerly from Durban, painted the kavadies with vibrant colours and added the stonework work.
Mortier, who finds joy in building and creating these unique kavadies, said he had not kept count of how many he had made to date. But estimated it to be close to a 100 or more.
He said he had a steady flow of orders, especially with Thai Poosam Kavady flag hoisting taking place on Saturday (February 2).
The growing popularity of the festival honouring Lord Muruga appears to be gaining momentum in Gauteng, he said.
“I say this because parents bring their kids to choose kavadies and this brings me joy knowing that the Hindu traditions and beliefs will continue through my hands. No challenge is too big or must I say too small for Shanti’s kovils. The smallest kavady I have built to date will be carried with pride by a two year old child.”
Mortier said he had just over 1 000 members on his business Facebook page.
“Like every business, I wish to grow. But I will never lose my objective of building quality, affordable kovils, mandirs, lamp stands and kavadies,” he added.
Mortier can be contacted on 078 695 9074.