Sabari Venu’s (@meancurry) posts on his Instagram account are not meant to amuse alone. His lines entertain and also make a point about issues he feels strongly about. The landslides at Wayanad on July 30, which wiped out villages, triggered a mixed social media response. He says: “I was feeling helpless and wanted to donate. But it was the reaction on social media that made me do this ‘portrait project’.”
Sabari, a creative director and designer who shuttles between Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, says, he was quite taken aback by “conversations about the landslide and the nasty comments and hate” he saw on social media. He felt people were apathetic.
He was surprised by certain posts that advised people not to contribute to the efforts to rebuild Wayanad and help people who had lost everything overnight. “There were posts that told people not to contribute to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) and some baseless claims about funds not reaching those in need.”
To counter the negative campaign and to do something positive, Sabari came up with an idea to encourage people to contribute to the CMDRF. On August 3, he announced that he would draw a portrait for anyone who shared a screenshot of their donation of ₹500 to the CMDRF.
Sabari Venu’s drawing for a donor to the CMDRF. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“DM me a screenshot of your payment confirmation, with two lines about yourself and some pictures of you...” he posted on his account, which has 133k followers.
He expected 10 to 20 people to respond to his invite. Within 24 hours, he was proved wrong.
Sabari Venu’s portrait for a donor who contributed to the CMDRF. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“I was flooded with screenshots after two hours. So, I increased the amount to ₹1,000 and requests kept coming in from all over the country, including Kerala. I realised there was only so much I could draw after my working hours.”
Many from Kerala have already donated it. But after seeing his post, several people donated again.
Sabari Venu’s drawing for a person who contributed to the CMDRF for Wayanad. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
After drawing for 35 to 40 donors, he announced that he was pausing his ‘portrait project’ for a while to finish drawing for all the donors who had sent in their screenshots.
Sabari was overwhelmed by the requests that poured in. People have been messaging him to find out when he plans to resume the project. He says when he restarts it, he wants to collaborate with another artist who is interested, and also increase the amount to ₹2,000.
“The orders left me with no time after my work. It was getting too much and that’s is why I decided to work with another artist to meet the demand.”
