A brush with strokes

Revenge is one of the most powerful emotions, and when it is deep-seated, it transforms into a propellent that inflames the blazing desire to be in possession of success.

This is the story of Shravan Kumar, a 19-year-old artist and a student of Journalism at Christ University.

“My journey began on a revenge. I was just a boy of ninth grade when I made Raja Ravi Varma’s ‘Kaadambari’. A man who holds a good position in an art school in the city had agreed to pay a sum of Rs 10,000 for it. Three days later when I called him to ask him about the painting, he bluntly said it was worth nothing, and would not be taken by anybody even if it is discarded,” says Shravan Kumar tripping down the memory lane.

“I was disheartened and insulted. That day, I challenged that I would prove myself. The 25th time I made the same painting, it was sold for Rs 1.5 lakh,” he reckons. Things have changed henceforth, Shravan went on to receive nine international, 20 national and 960 state and district awards for his paintings.

“I have done thousands of paintings since then. Along with pursuing a degree in Journalism, I take painting classes in different parts of the town, I sketch, do interior designing, play guitar and keyboard. I teach dance at the St Joseph Indian Middle School, and will start doing a storyboard with Sharath Srinivas Sharma, a music composer. Also, the business is  carried out purely through word-of-mouth.”
 
Talking about the art in contemporary times, he says, “An artist is someone who breaks the constraints of the society and gets closer to nature, the creation of God. Impressing the audience must never intent of the artists. Sadly, that is the reality. No form of art is free from such dreads.  Take cinema and censorship of instance. In such circumstances, the art is manipulated and loses its form.” This is not the end. Shravan is also contributing to the education of economically backward children aiming to catalyse social change.

“Though I do not like giving away my paintings and other artworks for free, money making was never my only intention. Thus, I adopt 10 children from rural areas, and dedicate 50 per cent of my earnings for they food, clothing and education. That gives me an immense satisfaction,” he says.