03 May,2011 06:19 AM IST | | Yacoob Mohammed
20-year-old has been invited to an all-expense paid trip to the country to teach his inimitable painting and sculpting techniques to polish artists
Lady luck took a shine to former drug addict L Jayaram, who has shown exemplary talent as a painter and sculptor.
Coming from a slum in south Bangalore, the 20-year-old has been invited on an all-expense paid trip to Poland to teach his techniques to other artists.
Jayaram took to drugs at an early age and spent most of his time sniffing whitener and petrol
The rehabilitated drug addict's luck changed in the year 2000 after being rescued by APSA, an NGO.
While he was in the rehabilitation center, he took up art. His sculptures and paintings are similar to the style of Amarashilpi Jakkanacharya, a famous sculptor in the Vijayanagar Empire.
"He was just nine-years-old when we found him in a semi-conscious state near Ragigudda in Jayanagar," said an official of APSA.
Addiction to drugs
The youngest son of daily wage parents, he took to drugs at an early age and spent most of his time sniffing whitener and petrol.
"This habit forced me to drop out of the school. It was during this time that APSA, which promotes schooling and other employment training to kids and teens stepped in," Jayaram said.
During his rehabilitation, he painted and did clay modelling and his talent was noticed by Gyan Devraj, a well-known painter.
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Similarly, Jayaram's main focus is social issues as depicted on a stone sculpture by him, which shows the evils of child labour.
Witness to injustice
Among his paintings is one of a child bride entangled in a mangalsutra and another of a women being molested.
When asked from where he got his ideas, he said, "As a child growing up in a slum, I witnessed a lot of injustice, but never voiced myself.
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The pent-up emotions took a toll on my outlook on life and forced me to take drugs to forget the pain. It is only due to my teachers that you see this change."
Inter-Cultural Dialogue and Exchange India (ICDE), an organisation that promotes cultural and talent exchange programme worldwide, has recognised Jayaram's talent.
"I am all set to fly to Poland soon to teach my skills and learn new things from the experience," he said.
ICDE Executive Director Ravindra Singh said, "We, in association with European Union, select talented youth who are not in a position to exhibit their talent. Jayram fits the criteria perfectly."
