Hasiru Hejje: Meeting a budding artist!

Nisha Sastry

Early morning, last Sunday, my friend SJ Srinivas of Regional Museum of Natural Histor called me to inform that Mr. VSS Shasry, origamy and kirigamy artist from Kolar was in town. We decided to meet him. He wasn't home. He was out for a programme, and we waited at the gate without knocking the door. We thought that there was nobody at home. After sometime, a stern voice came out to enquire who we were. It was his sister who had taken us to be some customers of neighboring shop or youth who came for a smoke and create nuisance at doorsteps. There were exchange of smiles and apologies from both sides. Behind the lady was a girl in her teens who wished politely "hello uncle". She was Nisha, Shastry's only daughter. I had last seen her as a kid when she visited Kokkare Belluru in the peak of a bird season, a decade ago. I was at the nursery pen, set up for the orphan pelican chicks involved in some daily chores. Shastry couple came in, and withstood the stench of the birds and took pictures of this little girl standing beside the pelicans. the picture of a little girl handing me over a contribution from her savings is still afresh in my memory. They had made it a custom to donate some one in need on each of her birthdays and that year the pelicans in the pens were the beneficiaries. I recalled the incident, but Nisha had no register of it in her memory. May be with a good intention of not to pamper her, Mr. Shastry had not revealed this fact to her.

Paper Man

Mr. V S S Sastry

Nisha had got seat in a prestigious engineering college at Bangalore and was waiting for the classes to commence. Nurtured by her father, a Limca Book of Records holder for 151 inch long paper rocket, she had ample opportunity to pick up extra curricula. Apart from reading, she had indulged in drawing and painting. She didn't hold back to present her scrap book. I was astonished to see a whole series of birds neatly painted in her book. They all were quite realistic and truthful in their colour representation. Over the years, she had transformed into a budding artist. Here are some of her paintings!