Beating all odds, differently abled youngster continues his artistic pursuit

Anjan Satheesh holds day-long caricature exhibition in Kochi to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence

When he was still a toddler afflicted with cerebral palsy, Anjan Satheesh used to draw pictures of the things he needed. His parents had initially failed to read his innate talent for drawing, but mistook it for his way of communication since he had hearing impairment and was hence unable to speak.

But, in the years thereafter, that talent became unmistakable as he churned out painting after painting notwithstanding the fact that he was crippled and had vision in only one eye.

On Friday, 32-year-old Mr. Satheesh held a day-long caricature exhibition at SRV High School here to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence. “He had drawn caricatures of 75 freedom fighters in the last 75 days beginning with that of Gandhiji on October 2 last year. He can use his hands freely now, after years of physiotherapy, and can draw without assistance,” said Lathika Satheesh, his mother and a retired High Court employee.

Mr. Satheesh shifted from painting to caricature after he drew a live caricature of then Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and came in for high praise from the man himself when he visited Adarsh Special School in 2005. Following this, the Kerala Cartoon Academy had made him a brand icon. Since then, he has built a considerable collection of caricatures and done several live caricature shows, where he drew the caricature of a subject in front of them in less than five minutes.

Mr. Satheesh went to a regular school till Class 10. “Then he had to undergo a surgery to his legs to improve his mobility. In the ensuring break of more than a year, he went to Adarsh Special School and also did a course in animation with Toonz Academy,” said his mother. Mr. Satheesh has been serving as an art teacher at the school since 2007.

He has come a long way from his disabled state of the past. He can now move around in crutches, can lip-read, and communicate in his own way.