By Asit Srivastava, IANS,
Lucknow : A picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of Shohaib Khan, words are worth a picture. Confused? The 20-year-old artist from Uttar Pradesh writes verses from religious scriptures in such a fashion that they become paintings.
By using verses from the holy scriptures, including the Quran, the Gita and the Guru Granth Sahib, 20-year-old Khan, who is a resident of Amroha district, some 300 km from Lucknow, has made several paintings and sketches.
“I give shape to figures by writing verses in different styles. By using the technique, I can make anything on paper, hardboard and canvas,” Khan, who is doing his graduation, told IANS over telephone.
With the technique of giving shape to letters by using verses, Khan has made several paintings of the Taj Mahal, the Jama Masjid, the Red Fort and other monuments.
“I primarily focus on historical monuments as for me they are the best subjects for painting,” Khan added.
Among his several paintings, the one of Taj Mahal is closest to his heart.
“It’s a nearly five-foot tall painting in which I have not drawn a single line or curve. I made it entirely by using Quran verses only. From the dome of the Taj Mahal to its impression that falls in the Yamuna river, I made them all by producing the desired shapes from verses only,” he added.
Khan also likes the tri-colour he prepared using Urdu text of Quran, Sanskrit verses of the Gita and the Gurmukhi script.
“The flag in a true sense projects the unity of our country. I have got the painting framed and put up in my drawing room,” said Khan, who is a resident of the Afganan locality in Amroha.
Khan does not want to pursue the unique art at a professional level.
“I think my objective to promote brotherhood and oneness through paintings will get defeated if I make paintings to earn,” he said.
“I feel the moment I become a professional, I will be diverted from my path of propagating harmony among different sections of society. Moreover, with the business aspect in mind, I believe I will not be able to work with honesty and devotion,” he added.
Khan, who has been into painting since he was six years old, says he developed the unique art by experimenting. “I have not taken any kind of training for making paintings. In my family too, no one is good at drawing. As far as this art is concerned, I developed it with constant practice.”
His unique art has made Khan quite popular in his locality. On the request of local people, Khan also makes paintings for them free of cost.
“I think it’s a god-gifted talent. He is famous in our locality,” Maskoor Amrohi, an advocate, told IANS.
Mahendra Maurya, a teacher, said: “We feel he will get national acceptance for his unique style of painting one day.”
(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at [email protected])
[Photo: www.sca.org.au]