He gives Raja Ravi Varma's masterpieces a mural rebirth

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manuj Brahmapaad, a self-styled commercial artist, paints his pieces for both pleasure and profit. "In painting I find that freedom of not being subservient or accountable to anyone. I can paint what I want and since it fetches me my dough, I make sure my work is worth people's money," says Manuj. At present he is working on mural depictions of selected works of Raja Ravi Varma.Manuj took to painting seven years back. He used to travel around the country in pursuit of occultism before that. After his expedition around the country, Manuj felt that all he wanted was to be independent and be happy.However, he stumbled upon his talent to paint through serendipity. Manuj has no formal training. Seven year ago, in Trichy on an idle evening, Manuj doodled with a pencil and his friend Ashad Sivaram found them interesting. "He encouraged me to paint more. Soon, I began making money through Kairali, an outlet through which my paintings were sold," recounts Manuj.Manuj used to paint landscapes and do impressions of Ravi Varma's works. "They were my subjects of painting since Malayalis have for generations had the same taste. Contemporary art rarely clicks with the Malayali crowd," he says. The artist took to mural painting after he stumbled upon a copy of a book about ancient mural paintings in temples in Kerala. Manuj visited temples all over Kerala to make a detailed study of the mural paintings there. "Since taking photographs were forbidden in the temples, I used to sit and make drawing at the temple," he recollects. Manuj has finished the mural adaptation of Ravi Varma's Sarswathi. "It is my favourite since she is an embodiment of purity," he beams. Manuj has nearly finished Hamsa Damayanthi. After finishing it he will start work on Maharashtrian Lady.Manuj has a gallery named 'Chitra Pathank', which means butterfly in Sanskrit, in the city.