Completing a huge caricature of the renowned sailor Vasco De Gama on the wall of an old warehouse in Kozhikode, Arjun K. Das, 23, had left for Gangtok in Sikkim on April 12. Arjun had two of his artist friends, Ashwin Janardhanan and Sreenilal Pouka, both from Kozhikode assisting him in the drawing.
A student of animation and film design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Arjun had an animation project in mind as a part of his course to be completed in Sikkim with his friends there. He was in Gangtok as his work progressed. On June 20, he went to see the Teesta River in Gangtok with his friends. Arjun accidentally slipped and fell into the river.
“The river was deep and the flow quite strong,” say eyewitnesses. A very good swimmer, Arjun almost immediately disappeared from his friends’ sight, as they stood shocked and unable to help.
Arjun, who hailed from Karivellur in Kannur, was an extremely talented artist and a promising designer, says Ashwin. He had been doing wall art in different cities of the country as well teaming up with his friends. “That’s how the Gama caricature in Kozhikode happened,” says Ashwin. The legendary sailor is seen in the painting looking through a large hand-held telescope. The entire setting of the sailor’s arrival was planned to be drawn initially. “We had to change our plan as Arjun was to leave for Gangtok urgently as part of his course work,” said Ashwin.
“Arjun was always passionate about designs,” says Sreenial, also an animation and design student at the NID. “An amazingly talented artist, he was always ready to help others too,” he remembers.
Arjun was planning to come home after two weeks when the accident happened. “We can’t even imagine how the entire picture of life has changed dramatically now,” says an upset Sreenilal.
Arjun was trying to wash his foot, when he accidentally slipped into the waters. “Everything must have happened in seconds, otherwise his friends there could have rescued him,” says Sreenilal.
His body was found away from where he got drowned. After two days, Arjun’s body was flown home to Kannur from Sikkim on Tuesday. His grieving parents are K. Mohan Das, a Sub Inspector with special branch in Kasaragod and Karen Das, a senior nurse with the health department.
