This artist created the illusion of rivers on a busy road in West Bengal’s Chandannagar

You may have seen Punam Choudhary on social media by now, drawing 3D art on the streets. We track her down in Chandannagar, West Bengal

A woman in sari with her head covered, is often seen on social media drawing 3D art on the streets. She neither speaks nor interacts in the video but just goes about drawing. Her Instagram handle, Punam Art Academy has been garnering love from her followers for all the right reasons.

She creates rivers, mountains, an underground well with stairs and even a whale that appears to emerge from under the street, all this with just charcoal and chalk. The art is so real that it confuses people on the street when they suddenly see the road ‘becoming’ a river or a bridge.

On her social media handles she can be seen sharing easy drawing tips by either drawing on a dusty or foggy car window, sometimes on a slate or a blackboard, and most of the times, 3D drawings on the street outside her home.

Punam says that it took her some time to realise that one doesn’t need to dress fashionably or speak English to get popular on social media. “It all started when my husband, Chandan Choudhary and I, came across TikTok where we saw people share all kinds of videos,” she says. (This was in 2019, when TikTok was accessible in India.)

“I suggested that he join the platform as an opportunity to share his artistic skills with the world. We bought a second hand phone worth ₹5,000 and began the journey. Within 24 hours, Chandan gained 2.5 lakh followers. Within a few days he started earning around ₹ 8,000 per month from TikTok,” shares 34-year-old Punam who is a post-graduate in History and holds a B.Ed degree. The couple saved money they earned from their videos and upgraded their phone.

Her reason for joining video sharing platforms is to share tips on drawing with people interested in drawing and also to share her talent, with the world out there. Her followers on Instagram are 719k and on YouTube she has 838k subscribers. In a way, the videos have also helped Punam gain self-esteem and get comfortable in her skin.

She has also been trying to get a job in a government school for years now. “Seeing me frustrated at not being able to land government job as a Hindi teacher despite being shortlisted, Chandan suggested that I join TikTok in early 2020, and share my art with people. He thought it would keep me distracted. I was hesitant, concerned about how my relatives would react seeing me on social media. But Chandan schooled me on how these social stereotypes do not matter and I should focus on art not my clothes,” says Punam. However within a week, the app was banned in India. Later in September 2020 she joined Instagram and YouTube in April 2022.