CHENNAI: Author and poet Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan will publish her latest book for children Prince with a Paintbrush: The Story of Raja Ravi Varma a picture book/biography of artist Raja Ravi Varma with Red Panda, an imprint of Westland Publications in April 2021. The book will inspire young readers to learn more about how the famed artist made his entry and mark in the art world.
When other kids were busy playing hopscotch with friends, seven-year-old Ravi Varma was painting on the walls of his house. Spotting his nephew’s artistic talent, his uncle Rajaraja Varma took him to the court of the Maharaja of Travancore to study and practise art.
Commenting on the book, Shobha said, “The idea of a series on Indian artists had been percolating in my mind for a while and I was writing poems inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s art. As I saw it, here was a famous 19th century Indian painter who blended European aesthetics with Indian images and connected the world more than a century ago, and yet so few children seemed to know him!’