Aisha Chaudhary, all of 18, is battling pulmonary fibrosis, a respiratory disease that affects the lungs, but she is determined to stay cheerful despite her days being numbered. Besides her dogs Coby, the Labrador, and Rolo, a black pug, the student of American School in New Delhi finds solace in painting and has put up a series of paintings on her art blog, www.aishasart.weebly.com. Her art work mostly leans on pop culture in terms of music, food, movies and popular beliefs, among others, as can be seen in her pictures featured here.
Quoting American Record Producer Tom Wilson who said, “A smile is happiness you can find under your nose,” her take on his one-liner is, “Happiness is doing what you truly love. Through my art, I am able to express myself in a beautiful and unique way. The happiness and contentment I get when I dip the brush in the vibrant colours of paint is beyond the ultimate. I revel in the smell of paint that is about to be smeared on the canvas,” she says.
Her passion for art also led to her dabbling in make-up and she likes to recreate a Marilyn Monroe or a Audrey Hepburn on herself in her paintings. Deriving inspiration from Photographer William Wegman, she admires his work of photographing dogs in a human way and “that has given me most of my ideas”. Other artists she admires include Andy Warhol and Francoise Neilly.
Due to her ill health, Aisha is voluntarily repeating one more year of high school and doesn’t have plans for collegiate education. Her teachers have helped her in every little way, “My school even built a special ramp so that I could be on stage to attend the graduation ceremony.”
Aisha is also helping two other teens battling the same condition and bought them wheelchairs to boost their confidence. What destiny has in store for her, only time will tell. For now, Aisha is painting the town red.
shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com