KASARGOD: Her paintings may lack the lustre of a professional artist, but 70-year-old Madhavi K compensates with something unique — her childhood memories.
Detailing everything she has seen and experienced, Madhavi presents a treasure trove of insights into the erstwhile village life of Kasaragod.
“When everyone paints landscape, I wanted to paint my memory,” Madhavi quipped.
Out of more than 100 of her paintings, the Ambalathara resident has displayed 63 works at the Lalithakala Akademi in Kanhangad, with the exhibition running till October 23.
The elderly artist bubbles with child-like enthusiasm as she explains every detail of her life on canvas.
Her paintings revolve around her father, Kunhitheeyan Vaidhyar, a traditional medical practitioner from Kumbla near Ambalathara. In one, she has detailed how her father would go after medicinal herbs every day and grind them into various pastes and powders.
“He saved many lives with his medicinal knowledge,” says Madhavi, counting that particular one among her most favourite works.
Her paintings present how the farmers would clear the farms and chase away wild boars. The locality’s famous hunter, Chappalan Meenkoth, would come with his country-made rifle. Another painting depicts how fish vendors Narayani and Yashoda would visit every household with fish.
She has not even ‘spared’ village personalities like the workers, artisans and craftsman she had encountered as a child. Take the case of Pottan Mestri, who constructed mud houses. He never drank water while working, she recalls. So, when her neighbours visit the exhibition, they are more than delighted to see all their relatives and ancestors spring to life in her paintings.
Madhavi never drew or painted as a child. She was married to Kunhikannan, a farmer and small-time trader. The couple has three sons, Vinod Ambalathara, Prasad Kanathunkal and Santhosh Iris, all professional artists. She started painting at 56 when her mother and husband died one after the other.
She found some solace in scribbling and painting on ordinary pieces of paper.
“She was coping with grief by painting something on paper but we found that she was doing reasonably well. So, we encouraged her to try on canvas, to which she agreed only five years ago,” says Vinod.
Madhavi has also displayed her first painting on canvas at the exhibition.
“I didn’t know how to handle canvas. So, it will be different from other paintings,” she says meekly.
Gradually, she has started earning praise and admiration. Last year, she displayed 10 of her works at the Lalithakala Akademi exhibition in Thrissur. She was among the winners too. Madhavi received a grant to exhibit her works there.
“I displayed only 10 paintings in Thrissur. Kasaragod is home, so people from my hometown should see most of my works, if not all,” she adds.