Joyal K Biju, 17, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was nine. He has overcome his disability to become an accomplished painter, wielding the brush with his mouth.
A resident of Wayanad in Kerala, Joyal was healthy till he was six, but then started experiencing muscular problems. “He would fall down often. By the time he was nine, he couldn’t use his hands and legs and was bound to a wheelchair, his mother Deena told Metrolife.
She and her husband Biju had lost hope until he was referred to the Block Resource Centre in Wayanad. Teacher Chandrika V V took Joyal under her wings and helped him draw and paint. “We soon found great improvement,” she says. Ramachandran Thayannur, known as KRC, helped him acquire more skills. “His expert training brought out the creative painter in him,” says Chandrika.
Joyal says he is inclined towards drawing landscapes. “Colours make me happy. I find joy and comfort when I am painting,” he says.
Joyal will paint live during a show organised by Art Mantram at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, on December 3.