Whether it’s singing, dancing, painting or writing, proficiency in any art form is gifted. While much of this talent comes to the fore during one’s childhood, many put that talent into cold storage, owing to the humdrum of everyday life and its accompanying responsibilities. But Khalid Zameer, a businessman, got back to his passion for art by nail after 30 long years and he now wants to popularise the rare art form.
Khalid is a hard-nosed businessman who owns a small-scale industry connected to cleaning and gardening. He loves nature and writes poetry in Urdu, too. His But Khalid had an inborn talent which he never nurtured, owing getting busy managing his business. But then his friend came along, who gave his artistic side a massive lift. And thus, after 30 long years, Khalid rejuvenated his passion for nail art. He is the only nail artist in Hyderabad.
Khalid’s passion is to make portraits on paper and cards, with the help of his finger nails. Painting, sketching, and drawing might be popular, but making portraits with nails is a rare talent.
Stung by nostalgia, Khalid explained with a child-like glee on his face, “I was seven when I observed my brother making portraits of famous people and nature on cigarette boxes. I also took up a cigarette box and tried doing it and unknowingly fell in love with the art. I got so inclined towards it, that I exhibited my art in my college days which got me many awards. But when I entered into the line of business for commercial aspirations, I hardly got any time to pursue my passion. After a gap of 30 years, my friend from the US, Shukoor Ahmed, a businessman, spoke to me and ignited my passion for the art once again.”
Khalid has since then worked on about 100 to 150 portraits of his favourite celebs and also on nature. “I made portraits of people whom I adore a lot. All my works are my favourites. Sometimes, I do pictures of nature, like birds, flowers, trees, rivers, good scenery and many more. Nail art cannot be done on normal paper. It needs a handmade paper or a card,” he gushed. For Khalid, it takes about a day or two to make a sketch of his idea.
“Imaginary art can be done in 15 to 20 minutes. Unlike the other art forms, where we use brushes for paintings and pencils for sketching, I use my nails for the art. It is not so easy. After a point, my nails and fingers start hurting. It needs patience, stamina and concentration,” he explained.
But Khalid is worried about saving the art form from dying.“My friend said that he would help me promote the art. This art is not common and hardly anyone knows about this art. My friends came forward and took the initiative of promoting it on social media, television and newspapers. We had launched our website a couple of years ago and also had created a page on Facebook. People can upload their pictures on the website and I would make their portrait and sell it to them. This is revenue generating as well. I even plan to come up with an exhibition at an art gallery,” said Khalid.
Like every art has its own restrictions, for nail art, it is the size. The size of a portrait cannot exceed beyond 600x800 mm as the nails cannot reach beyond the limit. Art is a way of expression. It is expressing your mind and baring your heart through different forms. Art is something that not just grabs your attention, but also connects your heart with others and this has been Khalid’s endeavour.