A slight girl is perched atop two desks, lashed together for stability, at the entrance of SRV School in Kochi, totally engrossed in the mural she is painting. Coconut shells filled with colours, as well as tubes of paint and brushes, lie scattered at her feet. She stands oblivious to the admiring glances of the students and teachers. Lekha Vyloppilly’s entire concentration is riveted on the mural. Stretching from wall to wall, it stands at an impressive height of 6.5 feet and width of 42 feet. The giant mural of a woman standing beneath a mango tree, with a young boy looking at her, is painted with painstaking eye for detail.
Lekha is busy illustrating the famous poem Mambazham, penned by Vyloppilly Sreedhara Menon, into a work of art. Lekha is the grandniece of the famous poet whom she addresses as ‘kavi’. She does not have memories of her grand uncle, but reveals a little-known fact about him — he too was an artist. The images she is painting are not alien to her. They were a part of her growing up years, especially the mango tree around which the poem is centered.“In my childhood, I have climbed that mango tree so many times and have played in its shade,” she says.
Lekha’s mural works
The mango tree, albeit old, still stands at her tharavadu. But the mango tree in Mambazham is in her prime — laden with ripe and budding flowers — one of which the boy plucks. His mother sees this and scolds him for not allowing the bud to form into a fruit. Hurt by the scolding, the boy vows not to eat the mango when it ripens. Unfortunately, he dies when the mango finally ripens. The poem takes a poignant look at the pain of the mother. “In earlier days, the child would sulk for a couple of hours and then forget about it. But in today’s scenario, if a mother scolds a child, he/she may leave the house or take drastic steps,” Lekha says.
Talking about the mural work, Lekha explains, “I felt the students should benefit from a mural, which is how I thought of Mambazham because of its relevance in showing the mother-child bond. I am painting this single-handedly. I work on the mural only on Fridays.” Pointing to a set of walls on the other side, Lekha says, “I intend to make my students showcase their artistic creativity on the walls and pillars over there, especially with cartoons. I want them to paint on social themes. What I am happy about is the support I have been receiving from the Principal for this.” The mural is a part of the initiative called Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) aimed at making learning a more creative process. Lekha, a mural artist, is teaching art as a part of this project.
“I have been given a very large canvas on this wall, which is a rare opportunity,” she says. Art is something she constantly breathes. She states, “Without art there is no Lekha!” Yes, art is satisfying. But as a profession, it cannot provide steady food on the table. It is not lucrative, which is the reason why talented artists often veer off at a tangent — taking up graphic designing or other multimedia jobs. Lekha did the reverse. She had a multimedia job but gave it up. “I need to draw with my hands dipping into the colours — that contact is vital to me! Mural work orders come once in a while but that is enough for me. I could have made a lot of money if I had chosen to pursue my multimedia job but I was adamant that art is what my hearts beat for,” she says.
Lekha also rues that art colleges in Kerala are fewer in number as compared to other states. She herself did her higher studies in art from Bengaluru, which opened her eyes to new perspectives. She did a series of paintings that integrated mural works and paintings. While Lekha remembers with fondness the encouragement she got in Bengaluru, a comparison with her home state makes her cringe. She frankly says, “A woman rising up the ranks in art is not looked at favourably in Kerala. I see a lot of jealousy around. As an artist with a single-minded passion, I want my work to speak for me. A lot of women are entering the art field now and that should be encouraged. My own daughter draws and tomorrow if she wants to be an artist, I will not stop her.”
