By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Dec. 1

Sitting at the corner of the exhibition hall of Nepal Lalitkala Academy, Amir Bamjan, a 20-year-old artist, was busy expressing his imagination on canvas using different shades of colours.

But like others he was not performing this ritual using his hands. He was busy griping the brush in his mouth, dipping it on the colour palate and creating distinctive and astounding painting.

Bamjan could hardly move his both hands and legs that have not kept him from finding serenity through his art.

After hours of hard work, Bamjan finally created a beautiful canvas, where he imagined himself gazing at a beautiful waterfall.

Bamjan said he always wished to reach the top of the hill and captured the serenity in his mind.

“But I know my desire can never be fulfilled. So, I have been illustrating my desires through this painting,” he added.  

Alike Bamjan, 13 artists with disabilities have attended a last day of a week-long art exhibition entitled, “Srijanshil Pakheta ‘Creative Wings’ recently held in Kathmandu.

Rahesh Barahi, another disabled person of Sundahara, Patan,  was creating a painting of Lord Ganesh and Shiva Linga.

He said, “Like the way people worship Lord Ganesh despite being half a human and half elephant, we expect people to respect our dignity.”

Min Rai ‘Pari’, another artist, who was taking part in the exhibition, shared she had problem in her hand.

Pari, who is also a third gender, had prepared a painting with a beautiful lotus flower.

According to her, this shows the message that the lotus of happiness could blossom within the sorrow of life.

Surakchya Wagle, a 27-year-old artist, had done her Master’s degree on Art.

She said through her painting she wanted to spread a message that ‘power lies on the unity and unity can build peace and brotherhood within the society’. “So I wanted to tell all disabled people to get united because together we can achieve more.”

Rashmi Amatya, Laxmi Bhakta Bhasima, Sikha Pradhan, Raghav Pokharel, Laxmi Dahal, Achyut Sharki, Roshan Kumar Shrestha, Pratigya Shakya and Rajman Maharjan have illustrated their experiences of living with disability.

During the exhibition, total 60 paintings of 38 artists were exhibited. All the paintings  were created in a way to inspire disabled people.

 The exhibition was organised by the National Federation of Disability, Nepal, National Association of Physical Disability and ABLIPICS on the occasion International Day of Person with Disability.