When Ajish Purushothaman got a smartphone as a birthday gift from his wife Shiji in May 2014, little did he know it would be a turning point for him.
Purushothaman, who hails from Kerala’s Malappuram district, works in Calicut University as a storekeeper. But in the months since he got the Sony M2 phone, he has created several paintings on a smartphone app called ‘Sketch’ using just his finger for a brush.
“Years ago I had a Nokia 3315. It had the option to draw pictures but only with dots. That was the beginning, I used to practice in it,” he says. Purushothaman does not consider himself a professional artist, but art is definitely a passion.
I have to catch a train to reach my home after work. I usually wait for almost one hour daily. So during this time I practice drawing in my phone.
—Purushothaman, Artist
In just 10 months, Purushothaman has drawn around 70 pictures. He named this series Kuthivara, which means ‘drawing without rules’.
He has his own Facebook page where he claims each new picture that he posts gets him more than 1,500 views. “Many people would call me and appreciate [the paintings],” Purushothaman says. When he crossed 50 drawings, an exhibition was conducted at Calicut University, where a huge number of art lovers attended.
I had many limitations to learn drawing at my childhood, even though I was interested. But now am happy that maybe my drawings are a first of its kind in Kerala.
—Purushothaman, Artist
When Purushothaman told Sony officials about how he has used their app they did not believe it until he showed them his work. “They were not ready to believe those drawings were drawn using this simple app,” he says.