His art speaks his mind

Being differently-abled did not deter artist Ajay Garg from winning the National Award

t_ismat@dnaindia.net
“He believes that work is worship,” is the first things that Geeta, the wife of artist Ajay Garg, conveys to you. “Ajay can spend days working late into the night,” she adds.
Geeta is the only one who conveys Ajay’s thoughts and ideas as he had lost his hearing and the power of speech due to a faulty injection that was administered when he was a child.

However, that hasn’t deterred Ajay from producing high-quality artworks. Rajasthani miniatures, which he specialises in, are detailed and exquisite. Most of them are completed with a single-hair brush and by using a magnifying lens.

“You know he has painted Hanuman and Ganesha on a grain of rice and he has also made portraits of Sri Sri Ravi Sankar and President Abdul Kalam and won a National Award too. “That was the happiest moment for him,” smiles his wife.

A resident of Japiur, it is the influences of folk art that occupy his canvas. Speaking about his exhibition at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Geeta says, “Apart from India, Ajay has shown his work at the UK, Canada and USA. This is his exhibition in Mumbai after 10 years.”

The exhibition is on till September 27.

Ajay is also actively involved in the welfare of the deaf community. “I know that is the most important part of his life,” she says. “To be able to help someone else who is talented gives him the greatest satisfaction,” she says.