Big artist

At 59,Shakil creates murals and teaches art at various Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) schools in the country. At present,he is creating a 90-feet tall mural on the building of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in the Capital. He had received a national award for his work in 2004. Shakil draws his inspiration from Krishna mythology,and the faces in his murals are formless. “I’m a devotee of Krishna. He signifies faith,not religion,” he says. He is also known for drawing over 3,000 forms of Ganesha.

His work shows great influence of religious symbolism related to lord Krishna such as the peacock feather. According to him,he tries to mingle religious motifs with those of world peace,national integration and modern education.

He says he does not read books at all but “looks around” to create images. He draws geometrical figures to represent life forms. “I believe I was born to do this. I have never faced any problems in pursuing art. None of my proposals for murals have ever been rejected,” Shakil says. He begins by painting a design that is enlarged a thousandfold and then recreated on blocks (of canvas or cut-glass) which is then pasted on the walls by his karigars. The murals,designed to give a “facelift” to the facade at the KV building,are expected to be complete by 2013. “The mural will represent my belief in Krishna and the universal values of modern education,” Shakil says.

He creates most of his murals at home,in Lucknow,and then takes them to the site in blocks which are then pasted on the walls.

Shakil claims to have made 300 murals across the country and approximately 50 paintings,mostly based on the Krishna mythology and ideas of national integration. He has been associated with the KVS for almost 34 years and is now approaching retirement. His murals can be seen in Lucknow,Agra,Kanpur and now Delhi. His paintings can also be seen in the UP Vidhan Sabha.

Currently teaching art at a KV in Lucknow,Shakil is looking forward to being a full-time artist after his retirement in the next six months.

He believes that true art does not have a definition,and a true artist has no manzil (destination).