ANANTAPUR: Bannothu Thackeray Naik had a tough childhood as he was affected by polio. His passion for art saw him complete his MFA at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal. Though he was offered many job opportunities as he is from a reserved community and is differently abled with a good educational qualification, Naik chose to continue painting as he wants to promote the art. Now, he is looking for sponsors to help him hold an exhibition of his paintings and inspire others to take up the art form.
Naik is the third child of Bannothu Darje Naik and Salamma of Nusilikottala in Kalyandurg mandal of Anantapur. His father is a farmer and works as a farmhand when the situation is not encouraging. His parents sent him to school and till class 6, he was a bit wayward and when he left the house once, his father counselled him.
In school, Naik was bullied and laughed at for his disability. However, his determination to prove himself never wavered. In class 10, he used to visit his teacher Venugopal’s house and there he saw Vengugopal’s son practice painting to get a seat in a fine arts course in Bengaluru. “That was my turning point. My interest in art rose and I started pursuing it. After completing Intermediate, I did my diploma in professional painting in Tirupati,” he said.
After his diploma, he completed Bachelors in Fine Arts from Telugu University in Hyderabad and then joined Visva-Bharati University in 2010. “It was a dream come true to do a master's in Fine Arts at an institution opened by Rabindranath Tagore. I am the second person from my region to join the varsity,” he said. Naik said that though he got job offers his focus has been on painting and wanted to prove his mettle and encourage others to pursue art.