Etching out her big world, ‘Kunjila’ grabs the attention of many. Without splurging any colour she draws her world more beautifully with her magical drawings.
Shifra Mary William (Kunjila), a fifth grade student of L’ecole Chempaka in the city, draws her passion towards pets.
‘Kunjilayudae lokam’, an ongoing exhibition at YMCA Hall, has showcased 40 drawings of this little talent. And it is proof enough of what she is capable of. Each speaks of her zeal to draw.
Kunjila was inspired by cartoons even she was an infant and entered the world of drawings at age five. Adding to the surprise, Kunjila was not trained by a professional and her unique style in drawing is visible in the works.
“We have tried to give her training by professionals. But many of them opposed this, saying that she had her own style and that should not suffer. Kunjila doesn’t use eraser while she makes a mistake. We never forced her to draw or to study. But only encourage her to do as she like,” said Kunjila’s mother Susan Daniel.
Kunjila is a great fan of the cartoon Lion King. To her, an animal’s expression can be seen in its eyes. Also, she tries to establish it in her drawings. “I love animals, especially cats, lions, cheetahs and tigers. I draw pictures by observing my three cats,” said Kunjila.
Kunjila is comfortable with pencil and wishes to learn painting. She doesn’t like to copy pictures from a photograph, but often sketches from her mind.
Her inspiration is her father William George Daniel, a painter and a sculptor. “My parents and teachers encourage me a lot. They help me to select good drawings and work more and more. I had a good collection of pictures. I usually draw four or five pictures per day. My drawings are purely mine. But my father teaches me where to add lights and shadows,” she adds.
Kunjila’s ambition is to be a photographer in National Geographic Channel. She is also good at taking photographs. “Kunjila once said that she wants to become a zoo keeper. Now she likes wildlife photography. We don’t know why she is so fond of animals,” said her father.
The three-day exhibition, inaugurated by renowned painter B D Dathan, will conclude on Saturday.