Sketching a different future for Melghat

His friends are busy pursuing civil services exams and are working in private factories for meagres salary. Vishwanath Jayram Dahikar, 26, however has a bigger dream.

Dahikar is on his way to pursue his hobby of sketching and is the first student from Melghat area to have enrolled at the Sir JJ Institute of Applied arts. “I am one of the few pursuing my hobby. Most of my friends only do their civil exams.

They want a secured job and pension,” he said.

Melghat in Amravati has seen the largest number of malnourished child deaths. The Bombay High Court has been monitoring the progress of government schemes in the area for the last three years but the schemes are yet to reach the affected. When asked whether he is affected by the malnourishment, he says “I try to avoid any influence of my surrounding in my sketches but I hope to contribute to my area in some way someday.”

The son of a farmer and the youngest of three siblings, Dahikar had in 2012 presented a sketch of Maharashtra governor K Sankarnarayanan to him.

Dahikar felt his talent lay in Arts so he chose to apply at the best college. A part time sculptor, who mostly makes idols for villagers in Chikhaldara, he said, “My mentor Bandu Bhau who is an active social worker in the area encouraged me to apply at JJ. I am scared to be a part of such a big institute but I think I will manage with the help of all those around me.”

Dahikar is comfortable mostly with the tribal Korku and Hindi, so will he be able to adjust to English given that it is frequently spoken at the institute? Moreover, the study material in the four-year course of Applied Arts will be in English. He says “It’s not that I can’t read and write English completely. Speaking is a small obstacle; won’t there be teachers or students who would speak Marathi/Hindi language, like me? I am hopeful that I get their cooperation.”

A normal day for anyone at Melghat is to wake up around 7am, do morning chores and visit the well to draw water, post which the day is free. In such a situation, Dahikar’s borrows inspiration from television serials like ‘Devon ke dev Mahadev’ and Animal Planet channel.