KOZHIKODE: For Sathyan Neelima, a drawing teacher in Nadapuram, it is disgraceful to see schools or government offices without a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. When he noticed that many education institutions and government offices in his area do not have even one image of the Father of the Nation, Sathyan launched a mission to supply Gandhi’s portraits to all education institutions and public offices within his reach.
For the past six years, Sathyan has been striving to distribute paintings depicting the Mahatma to schools and other public institutions. And so far, he has supplied 80 paintings — each costing around Rs 2,000 — for free.
“To spread the philosophy and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi among children, ensuring at least one photograph of Gandhiji on the walls of a school is as important as teaching about him. Further, I think it’s a dishonour to Gandhiji if government offices don’t display his image. That’s the reason I launched this initiative, although it was a bit expensive,” says Sathyan, a teacher with the SI HSS at Ummathoor, Nadapuram, in Kozhikode district.
A native of Vanimel, Sathyan planted the seeds of his mission when he found that many primary schools displayed neither a photograph nor a painting of Mahatma Gandhi. “Without seeing Gandhiji’s image, how will children realise his importance? How can they understand his ideology?” In the first year, in 2016, he had supplied 40 oil paintings featuring the Mahatma, each measuring 2.5 square feet and costing around Rs 2,000. “In addition to schools, some government offices, such as the Deputy Superintendent’s Office and the District Education Office have also been provided the portraits,” he says.
But the financial strain forced him to stop supplying the paintings in huge numbers. “However, I received sponsorship from a cooperative bank to provide 40 paintings the following year. Despite the financial crunch, I don’t want to stop the mission and continue to supply five or six paintings each year,” says Sathyan.
Being passionate about his art, the 50-year-old promises to cater to any school authority or government office head seeking Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait. “Within a week, they will get the painting. I’m not bothered by the financial side of the initiative as I think it is my tribute to the Father of the Nation. Moreover, I’m proud to see my work displayed at schools and government offices.” Though his mission is on the expensive side, his family — comprising wife Roopeshna and children Lekshmi, Bhadran and Arundhati — never discourages him, he adds.