Painting with tongue is Kerala painter's specialty

Kollam (Kerala), Apr 26 : A painter at Kollam in Kerala displays extraordinary talent by making paintings with his tongue.

Ani K, a drawing teacher at a school has come up with unique painting technique using his tongue as a painting brush on canvas.

With a keen desire to do something extraordinary, Ani K drew inspiration from a painter who painted with his foot.

"I always go for something different. So, first I tried to paint with nose, but noticed that few are already doing it. So, I thought of giving my tongue a try and succeeded. Many newspapers reported it. I got a good response. Then, I made it a regular practice," said Ani K.

It was no cakewalk for 30-year-old Ani. Initially, he used to get a severe headache and a terrible body ache every time he tried painting the canvas with his tongue. Sometimes, the unpleasant smell of the paint caused nausea. But, Ani's strong determination prevailed.

Gradually, he mastered the art and is now able to finish one canvas in three to four days.

Ani K has so far made 20 paintings on canvas with watercolours using his tongue as a painting brush. They include the paintings of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and others.

Among his remarkable paintings is an eight feet long painting of Jesus Christ having last supper with his disciples, which took him around five months to complete.

Impressed with his unique artistic talent, his students have tried to emulate him.

"It is definitely a unique talent to paint the canvas using one's tongue. I don't think anyone else has ever tried this sort of a thing. Personally, I was so amazed that I joined him as a student and many people come here to see him working on canvas," said Shibum, student.

Ani is going to have an art gallery in his house to display 150 tongue paintings that he plans to finish within a span of six months. By Juhan Samuel

ANI