Stunning drawing of Mahaperiyava by Dr. Clement Lourdes

Stunning drawing of Mahaperiyava by Dr. Clement Lourdes

The email sent to him itself is self-explanatory. When I opened the email, the name sounded familiar and I quickly recognized that he sent a drawing earlier but when I opened the attachment, I was pleasantly surprised to see such a stunning drawing of Mahaperiyava! What a great work!!! All our artists are self-taught and blessed by Mahaperiyava. Anyone looking at this could tell that this is not possible without His divine blessing and support!

Thank you Dr Clement for sharing your experience and drawing! Salute to your parents who took you to Him for blessing without bothering any religious boundaries and seeing Him as mahan!

All the budding artists should take these drawings as models and inspirations to learn and draw more…

Mahesh

Dear Sir,

Greetings!

I need no introduction to you since you introduced me already in your blog on 24 July, 2018 with two of my sketches, thanks to my colleague Dr. Sujatha Vijayaraghavan who is an ardent admirer of my works.  

This new sketch of Maha  Periyava is done by me with one ball point pen. I was fortunate to be blessed by the great sage even when I was a 7-year old boy. My parents took me to him for his blessing. They showed him all my drawings and every drawing of mine was blessed and appreciated by him. Though he usually kept silent during that time, he parted his reverend  lips to utter with a note of joy: “ Eswaranthan Evanukku Annukaragam Panron” ( It is God Almighty who graces him).Because of his blessings and the encouragement I received from veteran artists like Silpi,  I grew up as an artist , untaught  even now. I have been appreciated by a number of World leaders and eminent men in India and abroad.

When I was feeling a little uncomfortable with the picture of Mahaperiyava I had chosen as a model ( the picture was very vague and unclear), my colleague Dr. Sujatha gifted me  with a calendar without knowing the model I had chosen for my sketch. What a surprise! The calendar had a clear picture of the sage’s photograph – the exact one I was sketching. I felt as if it was sent by him. That had helped me to complete my picture. I am thankful to Dr. Sujatha, a great devotee of Mahaperiyava for her invaluable support and assistance.

I gifted this sketch of Mahaperiyava to the great singer P. Shusheela when she came to my house last month (12^thMay, 2019). She liked it very much. I attach my sketch and my brief bio-data and wish all the devotees of Mahaperiyava happiness and success by his grace and guidance.

Warm regards,

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Clement Lourdes                                                                                                                  Professor of English, Pondicherry University                                                                            Puducherry 14  , cell: 98943 20440

Dr. Clement Lourdesis a creative writer, critic, translator, self –taught artist and a specialist in Indian Writing in English and Translation Studies. He received his PhD degree from the Pondicherry University for his dissertation entitled “The Image of India in the Select Works of Gandhi, Nehru and Nirad Chaudhuri” in 1993.He is the author of Prapanjan’s Kuyil and Other Storiesand has edited Confluences: Studies in Comparative Literature      (with Prof. N. Natarajan) and Comparative Discriminations: Studies in Literature. He has been editingPrerana(Students’ Journal of Pondicherry University). His other publications include articles, reviews and research papers in journals like Calicut University Research Journal, Sri Aurobindo Action, Rock Pebbles, Journal of Indo Asian Studies, PCM Award Evening Supplement, Pondicherry University Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities etc. He has contributed a series of 15 articles to PCM Children’s Magazine. He has also done an extensive research on Arundhati Roy’s works and submitted a monograph on her under UGC Minor project scheme in 2001.He is the recipient of Paaventher Pugazah Award(2010) for his outstanding contribution to Art and Literature.

He has visited Reunion University (France) under Faculty Exchange Programme and delivered a series of 15 lectures on “Recent Indian English Fiction.”

He is a well-known artist and his works have gone on display at several exhibitions in India and abroad. Some of his pencil sketches have won the approval of the leaders of USA, UK, Russia, France, Rome, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Australia, Israel etc. His pencil sketches of the aircraft flown by No1 Squadron of the Indian Air Force have been appreciated by the three Service Chiefs and are permanently displayed at the Tigers Air Force Museum, Gwailor. Pondicherry Doordarshan and AMN TV have telecasted separate programmes highlighting his artistic achievements and the New IndianExpress published an exclusive interview with him.

Presently Dr. Clement Lourdes is Professor in the Department of English, Pondicherry University.