With 5 painting exhibitions of her own, 65-yr-old C Santha is now a recognised artist, reports lESLY JOSEPH

Published: 01st May 2022 04:43 AM   |   Last Updated: 01st May 2022 04:43 AM   |   A+ A  A-

C Santha with acrilic paitings at her residence in Kallayi | T P Sooraj

KOZHIKODE : Inside a dark, leaky shed where light does not penetrate, little Santha painted the realities of life in bright colours on her canvas. Growing up inside an old tent, Kallayi resident C Santha made a living by small-scale poultry farming and selling chicken eggs. But she did not let go of her paint brush. With five painting exhibitions of her own, the 65-year-old is now a recognised artist and is preparing for more.

“We were a family of five children and parents. Realising my passion for painting, my father encouraged me to continue it though he could not help financially. In the early years, I used to paint using charcoal and chalk.Walls, benches and floors were my canvases. I started using pencils when I reached Class 5,” Santha said. 

At the age of 45, she decided to study painting at the S K Pottekkat Cultural Centre in Puthiyara. “Many suggested proper art training as I had no knowledge about painting materials. I studied at the centre for two years and during that time I was a regular visitor at the Kozhikode Art Gallery. That’s how I came up with the idea of holding an exhibition of my own paintings,” said Santha. She uses darker hues. Many of her paintings including portraits are a manifestation of the beauty of nature that has been destroyed by man.

Today, Santha has got a new house with the help of the Indian Institute of Architecture’s Kozhikode Chapter and Good Earth Organisation where she lives here with her 68-year-old sister Padmavathi.  “Many have asked me if I would like to teach painting to children, but in my opinion, drawing can never be taught. Our ideas and imagination do not have to be confined to any rules,” Santha explained. The first exhibition of Santha’s paintings was held on December 23, 2007 at the Kozhikode Art Gallery. Her latest exhibition was held in Port Museum, Alappuzha , last year in connection with ‘Lokame Tharavadu’.

Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.

The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.

Telangana: Woman on the way to attend father's funeral killed in accident

India expresses concern about deteriorating situation in Ukraine

Astronomers reveal first image of black hole at the heart of our galaxy

India test-fires extended-range version of BrahMos missile

Chhattisgarh HC rejects five petitions challenging land acquisition for coal mining

Mamata writes to Modi, seeks release of MGNREGA, PMAY funds

The Morning Standard | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Indulgexpress | Edex Live | Cinema Express | Event Xpress

Contact Us | About Us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Search | Terms of Use | Advertise With Us

Home | Nation | World | Cities | Business | Columns | Entertainment | Sport | Magazine | The Sunday Standard