The sculptor and his frog kingdom

Perhaps the only place in the city that you will find a frog prince in a Thanjavur painting, complete with crown and royal cushion, is at the entrance of Shihan Hussaini’s Frog’s Idea Lab. There seem to be stuffed frogs (the toy kind) everywhere, perched on shelves, dangling from door knobs and even several miniatures crafted out of clay, lining the terrace steps outside. “It all started when I was six years old and I asked my father how a frog could live on both land and water,” explains sculptor-cum-martial arts teacher Shihan. “So my father, a history professor at the Calcutta University at the time, actually got me a few fish (or so I thought they were) and took me through the process of them sprouting legs and finally transforming into fully grown frogs.” From then on, his fascination for the amphibian species grew by ‘leaps and bounds’ so much so that apart from his elaborate collection, Shihan even has pencil sketches dating back to his school days in the ‘70s. Shihan states, “As per our last count, I have 1,927 pieces that have been either gifted or purchased over the years.” These include some rather unusual items on display, such as frog hatching a test tube baby, a frog mosquito eater and a seemingly single bachelor froggie, lounging comfortably on a deck chair, offering you an old-fashioned telephone to dial. “Perhaps one of the most endearing members of this frog family is a tiny curio piece of a young piano maestro playing his instrument, one long leg outstretched for the pedal. Shihan says, “That piece was presented to me by A R Rahman’s sister when she heard about my fetish for frogs.” No kidding.Back in his college days, when the dissection of frogs and cockroaches were compulsory as part of the practicals syllabus for zoology students, Shihan became quite the frog activist among his classmates and even took the matter to his principal. He recalls, “The principal was shocked at first when he heard, but later, they tried to make an exception in my case when it came to awarding practical marks. In the end, I just decided that I couldn’t do it and let those marks go.” The impression of a ‘crazy frogman’ certainly did the rounds for a while. In fact, with so many collectibles to store, Shihan rented a space in Thiruvanmiyur, just to store them. He adds, “That didn’t work too successfully because one day, the owner came in and with all the frog items that he saw strewn about, he immediately assumed that I was doing some kind of black magic and asked me to vacate!”Now, what did the poor creatures ever do to anyone, but assist them with their house fly problems. we wonder.