Find out how Anjan breathes life into his paintings & caricatures

Every picture of Anjan Satish tells a story. This 30-year-old was born to be an artist.

Anjan, who has multiple disabilities, has painted and drawn over 100 pictures, and each one is striking and vibrant. Based on Kochi, Kerala, Anjan experiments with different styles always seeking to find ways to connect with lovers of art.

Just a year old when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, doctors gradually found that Anjan was also deaf in one ear and had glaucoma in both eyes. A surgery left him totally blind in one eye. His parents Lathika and Satish were not fazed and made up their minds to offer him nothing less than the best. Anjan started therapy and special classes early, and this enabled him to think and work independently.

When Anjan was a kid, he had speech issues. So he used to show us what he wants by drawing it on paper. We thought that was just a way of communication. It took us a couple of years to understand that he had hidden talents to draw and paint beautifully. He has gone for many drawing classes but could not sit there for long due to his disabilities so he is largely self-taught. – Lathika Satish, Anjan Satish’s mother

Anjan went on to do a course in animation to develop his skills. Currently he is hooked to making caricatures, especially of personalities. He has gifted many as well to celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, actors Mohanlal, Muthumani Somasundaram and film director Jayaraj. He has won numerous awards and recognitions for his works.

His parents believe he can use these skills to build a career in art. “He can take it up professionally but we are worried how he would handle an office environment because of his communication problems”, says Lathika. “We are extremely supportive of what Anjan wants to do and we know that he has exceptional skills and talents in drawing. He loves technology as well. So we are waiting to look into how well he is going to implement all of this together.”

Anjan completed class 10 at a regular school and then shifted to an open school to pursue his classes 11 and 12. Even now, he undergoes physiotherapy sessions without a miss.

Anjan’s father Satish says his son has managed to cope so well as he never looked at his disability as a drawback.

“Being disabled is normalcy for Anjan because he was born that way. Anjan has high confidence in himself and never come behind in anything. I believe he has all the time in the world to explore and see what he wants to do. He knows he must move forward and he is doing a great job. No one in this world needs to be compared, says Satish firmly.

With this kind of an ace support team backing him, young Anjan Satish has a bright future ahead of him.

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