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THE MUSH REGISTER

LOVE HEALS P.S. Kesavan and Bhuvaneshwari, parents of K. Janarthanan, the country's youngest mouth painter

Kesavan

In 2000, our world turned upside down. And she held me responsible for it. I had to take care of our eight-year-old son Janarathanan one evening, because she was away. During my short nap, he went alone to the terrace. The iron rod he was swinging for fun came into contact with a high transmission wire. The flow of powerful electric charge burnt parts of his body. One leg and both hands had to be amputated. Holding me responsible for what had happened to our son, she harboured bitterness towards me for the next four years. She would often tell me that my carelessness had marred our son's life. I was loaded down with guilt; I wanted to remedy the situation in whatever way I could.

Bhuvaneshwari

Janarthanan used to assist me in the kitchen, passing the vessels or slicing the vegetables. Seeing him without two hands and one leg brought severe pangs of pain. Unable to cope with the sorrow, I was picking on my husband. He was trying hard to make amends, but my attitude was not helping him in any way. His sacrifices were lost on me. He had sold a successful printing press to pay Janarthanan's medical bills and was freelancing so that he could be with our son most of the time. He instilled hope in the boy, encouraging him to write and paint with his mouth. He would take me to creative shows and programmes put together by people with disabilities, so that I would understand that Janarthanan had a future too. I could fully appreciate his efforts only when Janarthanan received the Bala Shree Award from the President in 2004. Thanks to my husband, our son is today seen as a role model for youngsters; he is being invited as a chief guest to college and school programmes.

As told to PRINCE FREDERICK

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