Canvas-sing early

In a school bustling with buoyant young girls,little Arushi Bhatnagar,all of six,sits nonchalantly and does what she loves best-paint.

A student of St Miras School,six-year-old Arushi Bhatnagar held her first solo exhibition when she was just 11 months and has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records

In a school bustling with buoyant young girls,little Arushi Bhatnagar,all of six,sits nonchalantly and does what she loves best paint. And even though shes the centre of attraction,surrounded as she is by a posse of onlookers,friends and family,Arushi is unperturbed by all the hustle-bustle around her. She was just four months old when one day I saw her enjoying herself to the hilt when playing with some colours. Thats when I and my wife decided to encourage her talent, informs Shailendra Bhatnagar,Arushis father,at the annual art and science exhibition at St Miras School,where Arushi is doing a live painting. Whenever she would cry,we would give her some colours and blank sheets of paper,which would occupy her attention and shed stop crying. Soon,friends and relatives began telling us that Arushis was not an everyday talent, he adds.

Paying heed to their advice,Arushis parents encouraged the toddlers prodigious abilities and as a result,she found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records,for being the youngest professional artist in the world. Born on June 1,2002,Arushi had her first solo exhibition at the Kalidasa Akademi in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) on May 11,2003 when she was 344 days (11 months) old and found a mention in the Guinness Book in 2006 for the first time. In addition to her first solo exhibition,Arushi has held over 14 exhibitions till date and also sold several of her paintings, says Bhatnagar. She still does not recognise the names of many of the colours,but can paint as well as any expert artist, he adds.

A student of Std I at St Miras School,Arushi is the cynosure of all eyes and a favourite of Principal Ruby Karna. Arushi is an asset to our school and we are proud to have her as a student. Shes very good at academics too. The best part is that her parents have ensured all the adulation does not go to her head. Both she and her parents are very down-to-earth, says Karna. In fact,before Arushi joined us in mid-session last year,she could not get admission in other schools. But her parents did not reveal details about her Guinness Record until after she had cleared her entrance test. Whereas,they could have got admission into any school if theyd banked upon this fact, she adds. Stressing that the school plans to bear all expenses for Arushis education, upto college,Karna says its been a tradition at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission,of which the school is a part,to encourage talent wherever possible.

Oblivious to all the adoration coming her way,the bespectacled Arushi slowly dabs on some green colour onto her size 8 flat brush and then deftly places it on canvas,conjuring up a colourful tree with simple lines. All her paintings,most of which were on display at the exhibition,reveal a rare genius with the brush,an unmatched dexterity with colours and composition and a preternatural talent to create works of art which inspire awe and admiration,by turns.

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