Uncommon talent

Adorable in his maroon kurta and black nehru jacket fiveyearold Shorya Mahanot charmed us at first sight As restless as ever he fidgets with the bottles of paints till he figures out exactly how he would like them arranged near the canvas After careful arrangement and rearrangements he has all his paints placed in a straight line in an order of which only he knows the algorithm and refuses to share with anyone else He pauses only to take notice of RK Laxman who is brought in on a revolving chair to the campus of his residence at Aundh in Pune on Tuesday Shorya who hails from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh had come to Pune to meet Laxman and receive his blessings It was Usha Laxman R K Laxmanrsquos daughterinlaw who spotted the budding artist ldquoI then spoke to Dad about Shorya and he was very keen to meet himrdquo said Usha Let it begin Artist Shorya Mahanot carefully arranges his bottles of paints before he starts his painting at the campus of RK Laxman39s residence in Aundh on Tuesday evening Art The legendary cartoonist seems to be highly impressed with the childrsquos skill Laxman decides to let Shorya finish his painting before the felicitation ceremony as he confesses not to have had the heart to separate the child from his canvas His bright white pyjama is smeared with blots of colour even before he begins his work on a canvas almost the same size as the boy himself He gets down on his knees and mixes the colours on his brush before smearing it onto the canvas and spreading it to a smooth mixture As he proceeds he gains confidence he forgets about the photographers clicking away or the many people crowding around him to judge his work in their own way or the presence of a legendary artist himself He does what we all wish we could do let go of all inhibitions the ability of which is lost as we grow older A splash of green follows a splash of red with more passionate splashes of yellow and browns and white and pink Splashing some paint on the on lookers too but who would notice when they are witnessing a prodigy at work Impressed RK Laxman watches as Shorya Mahanot gets busy with his painting PICS Krunal Gosaviu00a0 As the canvas gets more colourful the artist gets more confident and passionate He finally ends with a layer of white paint across the canvas This in artistic jargon is referred to as an additive process which involves many layers of work He leaves the painting to dry for sometime as he gives in to participate in the felicitation ceremony of which his innocent mind only understands that he is receiving a present from an elderly guruu00a0Shoryarsquos parents honour Laxman and his wife Kamala Laxman by presenting them with a silver coin shawl and a coconut as a mark of respect while the veteran cartoonist also gifts Shorya an autographed brush and other goodies Memorableu00a0gift Shorya Mahanot who hails from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh receives an autographed brush from RK Laxman Happy with his new brush Shorya remembers his unfinished business with the earlier painting and rushes to add his finishing touches He scrapes off some parts of the white paint which can be referred to as what the learned art students call the subtractive process But what we see is an amazing piece of abstract art ldquoThe level of energy is wonderful He is so little but he does such a great job He is nothing less than a prordquo says Laxman ldquoI like the way he mixes the colours on the brush before splashing it on the canvas very nice techniquerdquo he adds Freedom Shoryarsquos canvas cannot limit him his art is a part of something larger and it is only his state of fearlessness limitlessness that adds a meaning to his work It is all about layers and the freedom with which this prodigy explores this technique We catch a glimpse of Laxman showing his appreciation by joining the tips of his forefinger and thumb and adding an encouraging smile ldquoArt runs in the family It is in his bloodrdquo says Pushpa Mahanot Shoryarsquos patient and encouraging mother Shoryarsquos father and grandmother are very talented artists but they never went public with their work ldquoI never stop Shorya from scribbling and painting yes the walls do get dirty and I have a lot of cleaning to do but itrsquos all worth the fun my son hasrdquo she adds The young artist is very close to his two teenage sisters Shreya and Shruti ldquoHe picked up the interest in painting from his sisters They encourage him a lotrdquo says his mother The boy is unaware about all the interpretations his paintings call for He just looks at it as fun Ask him what his favourite colour is and like a true artist he is confused He likes red and blue and yellow we come to a conclusion that he likes colours anything that matches his mood at the moment He is excited looking at the passing clouds and rejects any questions asked to him that would make him shift his concentration from the sky and looks down only to grab a potato chip from his packet of Lays The unputdownable spirit is what brings the sparkle to Laxmanrsquos eyes even at the age of 92 He inspects the miniature cars that Shorya carries along in the same childlike way ldquoHe is healthy But due to old age he has limitations with his speech It isnrsquot very clear so he restricts speaking only to familyrdquo says Usha who runs a Non Governmental Organisation NGO that works for the betterment of underprivileged children ldquoHe still sketches a bit here and there even today He keeps doodling stuff itrsquos more like a habit he has since he was three years old so itrsquos hard to let go infact I could even say impossible for him to separate from his artrdquo she adds Laxman was eager to meet this young artist and see him paint He signed the little boyrsquos painting for keepsake and blessed him with a joyful heart Sincere appreciation for his talent beamed from Laxman as he patted the boyrsquos head with his experienced hands that now quiver due to old age u00a0