Women's Day 2023: Sheela Sharma, The Blind Artist Who Paints With Her Foot

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Sheela Sharma, born at Gorakhpur Uttar Pradesh on 15 July 1968 is a name whose very mention inspires the heart and soul of the downtrodden and the distressed. Her story is heart rending yet inspiring as it instills hope in every broken heart. Let us take a look. She lost both arms in a train accident at an age where she was just learning to distinguish between her left and right hand and to learn eating using her right hand.

Sharma's Early Years

Thankfully she was not sent to a special school for children. She attended a local primary school where she excelled in her studies. Not just this, she also mastered slowly the art of holding pen and pencils with her mouth and feet, thus gradually drifting towards drawing and painting and sketching people and scenes. AT times, she used to effortlessly draw intricate diagrams and drawings, and showed her teachers and friends how to draw like her. As School days came to an end, she enrolled herself to the Fine Arts degree course., She never tasted disappointment in the umpteen competitions she participated in during her schooling. This was probably the time when the pain of losing her limbs haunted her but was unable to destroy her confidence and hope.

She has been a member of MFPA since 1999 and has run plenty of art exhibitions, especially the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. Her paintings were so intricate and challenging to master for any normal person. She personally handled everything right from mixing colours to cleaning the paintbrushes.

Impediments To Her Career

Her father, was very protective of her right from her tender age and hence resented her idea of pursuing Painting and instead asked her to take up a safer job. Her confidence never failed despite hearing morale busting comments from people around her, criticizing her nastily for her career decision. She built her own circle of friends during her stint in fine arts from Lucknow University and found her comfortable amongst the tribe that she was a part of. Sheela's painting icon is MF Hussain whose painting has enthralled her to bits.

Sharma's Current Themes

In the meanwhile, her life experiences widened as a result of the exposure to life that she had. To begin with, she had no awareness about the suffering of the modern women but as she grew up in metro cities she was able to see the suffering of women at close quarters. Her themes drifted from the normal day to day circumstances to the suffering of women which she so beautifully portrays today. Most of her themes are women oriented as she feels deeply for the cause of women.

Sharma's Attitude To Life

She has taught everyone she has met her painting skills without any reserve or discrimination. She clearly saw motivation, confidence and the situations as two different hemispheres that did not connect in one single way. She knew situations may come and go but her confidence in herself and her efforts at creating her destiny would never fail her. She is an inspiration for the especially abled people. She was criticized for her choice of career. But she collected all the bricks thrown at her and converted them into her stepping stones for success. Anybody is capable of doing anything as long as he or she has a brain in working condition.

She has also held her exhibition at Kala Ghoda Art at Mumbai where she showcased her themes on Buddha. She has a fervent wish to be a successful artist and then an art teacher. Her works have been widely appreciated at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Lucknow.