Budding Artist

Prologue:
Being born to a talented father, we all brothers and sister had great affinity for art. We are all born artists, often drawing sketches or painting pictures during our childhood and growing up days. I was mostly fascinated by buses, lorries, animals and birds and I used to sketch anything that I found interesting. I also used to draw movie posters and banners, especially Hollywood movies. Dracula movies were my most favourite, and Christopher Lee was my most favourite actor as Count Dracula. His eyes, his gestures and his appearances suddenly in the movies, grabbing his victims and biting their necks to suck blood was always some scene that I used to dream at odd moments. One such moment was, when I attended the classes of Sunny Tharappan, our English lecturer in PUC, in St Aloysius College.

It was autumn of 1973, I was in Second year PUC and Sunny was narrating a scene from the non-detailed text Pickwick Papers. He was a very good lecturer, very handsome like Franco Nero the Spaghetti Western hero, and his voice was quite masculine with good command over the language, laced with slight Malayalee accent. Our classroom was on the left wing back corner of the College Building adjacent to the Chapel.

I was sitting in the middle of the third row on the left, Aravind Thodar my close friend was sitting on my right. I was sketching Count Dracula biting the neck of a victim girl as seen in the movie 'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave'. Aravind was fascinated and he was observing the sketch keenly.

Suddenly Sunny stopped his lecture, stared at me and asked me "Can I have a second with you gentleman? Can you please bring that book in which you were drawing something, something that you were so engrossed in, something fascinating?"

I had closed the book by then, and I stood up, showing surprise on my face and said "No Sir! I wasn't drawing anything!"

"Aah! He wasn't drawing anything, but I am imagining things! Now will you please bring that book over here and show the class what you were upto?"

I felt nervous, my heart beating fast and my limbs shivering! I took the book to Sunny and handed it over to him and stood silently.

Sunny flipped the pages and found the Dracula sketch. He opened the book wide and showed the class the sketch and said aloud - "Look at this! We have a budding artist, a Picasso, a Van Gogh, a Da Vinci.....among us! If this man can improve his abilities, he will reach the level of such great artists soon!"

He turned aside and told me "My friend, you are a good artist, I can see that very well in your masterpiece here. Now get out of the class, make 100 sketches like this and then come back. Till then you're not allowed to attend my lecture classes."

I pleaded, "Sorry Sir, my mistake. Shall never repeat it. Please allow me to continue in the class."

"Oh no! I should encourage you to become a better artist, so that your dream is fulfilled. So please don't come back till you make 100 of these."

I silently packed my books and left the class!

"What next? What am I going to do? I will miss the classes and above that this imposition to make 100 of those sketches!" That thought bugged my mind and I went straight to the library, took a seat and kept worrying till the lecture period was over and the bell rang. Aravind came running hurriedly and expressed his sadness over my plight. He said it was his fault that he smiled as he watched me draw that sketch.

I said it's not his fault, but mine, since I was trying to darken the lines on Dracula's features by which Sunny could see the sketch from a distance, in spite of me covering it up with my left hand!

The next day, I waited outside English classroom in the afternoon for Sunny to arrive. He came on the dot and smiled at me. I said "Sir, can I come to the class? I am truly sorry that I did that mistake. It will never happen again Sir!"

Sunny continued to smile and said 'Please complete the job I gave you and then enter the class. How many did you draw by the way?"

I said none, and that I can't concentrate on it, as I felt very guilty and off mood. He didn't show any mercy. He was firm in his decision and said I can take my own sweet time to complete the job, that is drawing 100 of those sketches!

I felt totally dejected and also started to feel shirty. My respect for Sunny was slowly fading and I was fuming with rage! I went straight to the library and started drawing those pictures of Dracula and his victim!

Next day I was suggested by Aravind to meet Sunny in the staff room and apologise there, so that he may show some mercy on me. I initially agreed, but as I went near the staff room, my self respect stopped me from becoming too humble and bow to him. I also had the fear of being insulted in front of other lecturers. I came back to the library and started drawing more sketches. By the time that day's class was over and the bell rang, I had completed 50 of those sketches. Some of my closest classmates, Aravind, Naresh, Sathish, Yashwanth and Umesh surrounded me and they adviced me convincingly that I should not waste more time like that, as Sunny was not a bad guy. He was straight forward and firm in his decisions but he also was a good human being. He had soft corner for me but my carelessness in the class upset him deeply. Otherwise he'd not have imposed that punishment over me!

I too got soft on my rigid stand and decided to try a last chance during the next day's class. I went to the classroom and stood outside as usual with the book and as soon as Sunny appeared, I opened the book and showed him the sketches. He smiled and went through them, counted one, two three upto 50, lifted his head and asked me "Only 50? Where are the other 50?"

I was silent. I stared at the floor and didn't say a word.

"Are you frustrated? Tired? You gave up so fast?"

I replied with trembling voice "Sir, I know drawing 100 of these sketches won't make me a better artist but that will make me lose interest in your classes. English is my most favourite language Sir. Please don't do this to me. I may lose interest forever and fail in my final exam! I am sorry and I can't say further."

Sunny nodded his head and waved his index finger, allowing me to enter the class again. The entire batch of students applauded and cheered as I went and occupied the third bench, my usual place in the class!

In the final exam, I scored 68/100 as against the highest marks in our class, 72.

Epilogue:
Three years after completing PUC, I met Sunny Tharappan in 1977 at Don Bosco Hall where Dr Abraham Kovoor's lecture was arranged by the South Kanara Rationalist Association of which I was an active member. I was looking different then with a well defined moustache and hippie hair style. Sunny couldn't recognise me first when I said "Good Evening Sir". Then I reminded him of the imposition he gave, the Dracula sketch and the full episode! He had a hearty laugh and asked me if I was seriously pursuing art.

I said I stopped it in PUC after that episode.