Thumb impressions

Chand,who retired as the head of the painting department at the National Bal Bhawan,says he never found the time to nurture his talent.

Today,a year after his retirement,Chand is a busy man teaching amateurs his art in the morning and working on his paintings in the evening.

A small room on the third floor of his Rohini house is his studio and is filled with numerous awards,trophies and citations he had won through his school and college years.

Chand says wherever he goes he is besieged with is requests from children and adults to give them a demonstration of his ‘Midas touch’.

And this artist is quick to oblige. Deftly,he soaks his fingers in paint,presses them on to the canvas,etches out a design with his thumb and sharpens it with his long nails. And,there you have it — a beautiful painting.

“When I was a child,I had this habit of staring at the open sky and watching the clouds pass by. The clouds have interesting patterns,which fascinated me. I was always interested in painting but never knew that I could paint with my thumb or nails. When I was in school,we used fountain pens. One day a drop of ink accidentally spilled on my book. Instead of wiping it off,I used my fingers and made animal shapes from the drop. It was then that I realised that I could use my fingers instead of a brush,” Chand says,pointing to the various sketches he has prepared through this technique.

“Children from the neighbourhood and other parts of the city come to my house to learn this art. I teach them here in this studio. Earlier,I did not get much time to pursue this art. I would be invited to colleges and universities to demonstrate my skill but never found the time to paint at leisure. Now I’m planning an exhibition of my works. Some of the paintings took me around four-five days,” Chand says.

Even as he continues to speak,he plops his thumb in black ink and then press it lightly on the canvas. A few more deft strokes,and the shape of a bee emerges,complete with delicate wings.

“While serving as head of the painting department,I was once asked to prepare 300 greeting cards in a day. I used this technique professionally for the first time then in 1985,” he says.

Chand says he sees a design in everything. “I visualise every drop of ink differently from what others do. I thank God for giving me this skill. Now I am putting all my energy into make paintings for my exhibition,” he says.

Neighbours and well-wishers often ask him to display his skills on reality shows on television but Chand says that he does not want to “sell” himself. “I am an artist and not a marketing executive. I am happy to teach children and impart knowledge. I do not want to keep this talent to myself. I only display my skills so that others get encouraged and take up this art ,” he says,before using the nail of his index finger to write his name on the painting,which he hands us with a smile.

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