Avanavu Narayanan is a prolific artist. He has been so profuse that every day he reaches out to at least 5,000 people with a
new work of art through WhatsApp. And he has been doing it without a single day’s break since 2013.
Mr. Narayanan says none in his knowledge has achieved such a feat worth being included in the Guinness Record. But his polite nature pushes him to do more sketches and paintings and to send them to people who appreciate them, rather than attempting a Guinness.
“My aim has been to create a culture of art appreciation in our society,” he said recounting how he started the habit of sending one painting every day to his friends through WhatsApp.
When people started sending blind forwards on WhatsApp, Mr. Narayanan thought, “Why not a work of mine every day?”
And the practice clicked and soon gained acceptance and popularity among his friends and followers.
Although he has only two dedicated WhatsApp broadcast groups to send his sketches and paintings, his works end up being forwarded regularly in dozens of groups, and they travel across different social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
A self-taught man, Mr. Narayanan wakes up 3.30 a.m. every day and finishes one or two works on A3 or A4 drawing sheets. By 5 a.m., he broadcasts his fresh work of art through WhatsApp. “Nearly 25 per cent of people respond with warmth and love. Some people complain when they miss the paintings,” he said.
It was his grandfather Vaidyamadom Valiya Narayanan Namboothri who identified the talent in him and sent him to learn drawing. But he compensated what he had missed from his private study through persistence and dedication. When he became a drawing teacher at Vanneri Higher Secondary School, he used to wake up very early and practice diligently. “It really helped me grow,” he said.
The winner of Kerala State Lalithakala Akademi Award in 2011 and 2014, Mr. Narayanan has nearly three dozen solo exhibitions to his credit.
Although he first used charcoal and high-grade pencils as his medium, Mr. Narayanan now dabbles in all mediums including oil and water colour. But sketching with the pen remains his favourite medium.
“I could really see my own growth and evaluate my works from the hundreds of sketches, drawings and paintings I did for sending to aficionados over the last six years,” he said. And he could see how he deepened his skills of expression.
