One hand on the mouse and the other on the laptop, M. Sai Ganesh has his eyes fixed on the monitor screen until he gets the perfect geometric lines to show the many blocks in a multi-storey building. Nothing can distract this 11-year-old away from his laptop when he has opened Paintbrush to draw something that has captured his fascination.
“He saw this building just for flicker of a second a few months ago when we went to AGS Cinemas in Navalur, but right from the number of floors in the building to the other specifications, he drew its exact replica,” says his father M. Dhanapal, a resident of Kandanchavadi. Teachers at Pon Vidyasharm, Injambakkam, where he is a student of class V, say he has an extraordinary memory, while his doctor thinks he has photographic memory.
As a child, Ganesh had difficulty with his speech and is socially reticent, but he can stun everyone with his sharp memory and how he uses it to draw pictures. He has a boundless fascination for trains that he draws them without looking at any pictures. He gets all the specifics – such as train number, cab, locomotive and colours – correct. His collection of train- and railway-related drawings include paintings of Basin Bridge Station, Perambur Loco Shed and a double-decker train.
“I would have taken him to any of these places a year ago but he springs a surprise by drawing a replica of it,” says Dhanapal. Ganesh has been drawing since the age of five and has won many drawing competitions at school where his teachers encourage him a lot.
His world of imagination is interesting and such children must be encouraged in whatever talent they show, say his parents. Ganesh next wants to drive a train.
“I want to use the hand brake and press the horn,” he says, running to the balcony where he draws much of his inspiration from.
Write to him at saiganesh1208@gmail.com or call him at 9940194182.
