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Indiabuildnet --The Complete Resource of the Building
Industry |
Ms.
SHEELA
COLOURS
OF VICTORY
--
An Article that appeared in India Today
on 15th december 1997. A young girl overcomes
physical disabilities to paint a bright
future for herself . By
Subhash Mishra. |
EVERYONE PAINTS
HIS OWN FUTURE--They say. Sheela
would agree. After all, Sheela, an artist
in her mid-20’s is a confident woman, not
only earning a living for herself but also
looking after her family. Her tale is a
definition of determination.
She
was only 4 years old when she lost both
her hands in a train accident near her village
in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
As a child, she saw her friends go to school,
scribble in their notebooks and draw houses
and flowers. She began to imitate them.
Except that, with no hands, she had to first
learn to work with pencil held between her
toes. Seeing her perseverance, her father
got her admitted to the local primary school.
That was the impetus the physically disabled
girl needed to make a mark in life. Today,
Sheela is one of the better known painters
at the National Lalit Kala Kendra in Lucknow.
After completing her intermediate education,
the enterprising girl earned a Bachelor
in Fine Arts degree and then decided to
take up painting as a career at the Kendra.
People
gawk at her as she sits down to paint, non-chalantly
adjusting a brush between her toes of he
left foot. And a trifle self-consciously,
she says, "For me, this makes no
difference .In the childhood, I used to
hold a pencil with my toes. Now it is a
brush. That’s all " But that is
not all. The brush cannot stop painting.
Sheela is the eldest of five children in
a poor factory worker’s family.Her mother
died in the same accident that cost her,
hands and so she is responsible for bringing
up her siblings too. This is a big burden
for the physically disabled girl, but used
to hardship, she does not complain. “I
vowed to become an artist when I grew up.”
She smiles. “This was a big challenge
for me. Hard work and determination brought
me here and, in the process, I often forgot
that I had handicap. Now it makes no difference.”
For
all her exemplary courage, Sheela has not
received the sort of support she deserves
from the government. All she gets is a national
scholarship of Rs.1500 per month. In addition,
former Uttar Pradesh governor Motilal Vora
has arranged a monthly stipend of Rs.1000
through Sahyog, a charitable institute which
looks after the welfare of physically disabled
people. This is not a princely sum by any
standard. “ I primarily depend upon sales
of my paintings to assist my family, ” says
Sheela. Her canvasses
fetch around Rs.4,000 each but there are
no regular buyers. There are times when
the brave artist worries about the possibility
of patrons deserting her completely. But
she remains undefeated "If God ha
deprived me of my hands atleast He has given
me two legs" Sheela has participated
in many state level art exhibitions, equally
at ease with both the mediums, oil and water
colour. “Wherever she goes, Sheela draws
applause and often ends up a the star of
the exhibition.” says her friend, Azad Sonakar.
But one ambition remains unfulfilled. “Being
a professional artist. I would like very
much to win a national award. “ says Sheela.
Her paintings are predominantly about women,
Mother and Child, Samyog and Proda (Old
Woman) are some of her finest. In these,
she has cleverly combined her own perceptions
with those of women in general. In making
women the central subject of her paintings
Sheela vicariously shares in the pains and
pleasures of an often-misunderstood gender.
“Women need encouragement, not pity or
sympathy.” asserts the artist. She extends
this feeling to her own life and declares
with some heat, “I
hate to be seen as a pitiable creature,
especially when I have proved myself by
fighting against terrifying odds.”
A
difficult past behind her, she considers
the future with optimism. “ A job would
be fine. “ she says , “but not at the cost
of paintings.” For the moment, she is busy
preparing for a solo exhibition next year.
For some, she is just a freak. But, against
all odds, she has settled down to use the
bright colours that express her victory
over nature and destiny.
Check out her Awards
and Achievement |
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