Artist Bharati Saini finds her canvas of hope in Hyderabad

Uttarakhand artist Bharati Saini lost both arms in an accidental blast as an 11-year-old but found her calling in art. Today, she paints using her elbow stumps and teaches drawing and painting to persons with intellectual disabilities in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Art, they say, is the great equalizer. Nothing describes better the creative expressions of Bharati Saini, a 25-year-old artist from Uttarakhand, who draws and paints using just her elbow stumps.

Fate changed the path for Bharati when she, as a playful 11-year-old girl, picked up an object that turned out to be an explosive device apparently meant to scare away animals. The blast ripped through her upper limbs, leaving her with just elbow stumps after amputation.

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Undeterred by the loss of her limbs, Bharathi, then a sixth standard student, returned to school with her elbow stumps still bandaged and subsequently, found her voice in art, with her drawings and paintings using just her elbow stumps soon becoming the talk of the town.

The proverbial turning point for Bharati came when she was in 10th standard. The District Magistrate who was visiting the school was impressed by her paintings and suggested she pursue her interest seriously by taking up fine art in graduation. Bharati joined Nainital University for her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and later Master’s from Kurukshetra University in Haryana.

Bharati’s journey in art brought her to Hyderabad and she is currently teaching drawing and painting to persons with intellectual disabilities at Swayamkrushi. “Working with these people gives me immense satisfaction, and it appears to be a two-way street,” says a beaming Bharati, who came to Hyderabad to help friend Vishnu Kondoj set up a studio-cum-workshop under the aegis of Masterbrush Art Foundation.

“A lot of people have helped me reach the position I am in now, and I would like to give back to society. Here at Swayamkrushi, founder-director Manjulaa Kalyaan and the staff put me at ease, and I am enjoying staying and working here,” says Bharati, who basically speaks only Hindi.

Isn’t language a barrier for her? “Not at all. I explain to my students using signs and in case of any difficulty, I take the help of one of the teachers to explain in Telugu,” says Bharati.