VOSAP is proud to share the incredible story of a Mouth Artist from India – Srilekha Mandalpalli.
Miss Srilekha Mandalpalli is an embodiment of the spirit of “nothing is impossible if you have the will to do it”. She was born on 8 th June 1982 in a loving family in Hyderabad. She was born with a rare congenital disease that almost paralyzed all her limbs. She is practically paralyzed neck down. But, her achievements in life can leave anybody surprised. She is one of the most famous artists of India who paints primarily with her mouth.
Despite her tragic physical condition, Srilekha was given a normal happy childhood. And she is immensely grateful to her parents for all their love and support. Her parents never made her feel different from her siblings. She was allowed to do whatever she liked. Srilekha utilized this support to make herself as independent as she can be with her physical limitations. She was enrolled in a normal school where she would write holding a pen in her mouth. This was undoubtedly not an easy task but Srilekha overcame all the challenges and earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
In addition to giving her attention to studies, Srilekha devoted her time to different hobbies. Painting was one such hobby that transformed into a passion over time. Her mother was her first inspiration who used to do fabric painting. Srilekha, as a young child, imitated her mother. She would paint on curtains and show them to her parents. This gave her parents the idea that she has the potentials to be an artist.
To help Srilekha brush up on her natural talent, her parents started searching for a home tutor. This was obviously not an easy task. One of the teachers who skeptically agreed to give her home tuition in painting wanted to make sure he was not wasting his time. He said he would take her as a student only when she proves she has enough artistic talents. On the first day of class, the teacher made 75% of the art and Srilekha had to complete the painting. In the next class, he drew 50% and the rest was to be done by Srilekha. On the third day, Srilekha took the challenge of creating an entire piece of art by herself. The teacher was stunned and Srilekha won a challenge that transformed her into the professional artist she is today. Starting with fabric paint, Srilekha became a master in oil painting.
Srilekha became a member of International Mouth and Foot Painting Artist (MFPA) in 2013 through which she sells her artwork. MFPA is an international registered society of differently- abled artists who use their mouth or foot to draw. The society sells artworks and merchandise with artworks thereby providing an income source to artists who use their mouth or foot to draw.
Being born with a paralyzing condition was not the only challenge faced by Srilekha. Her congenital condition caused several complications. The year 2013 came with such a disheartening complication for her. She was bedridden. No medications helped improve her condition and everything seemed hopeless. She was told that only sun therapy could help her. Srilekha was ready to give whatever it takes to be able to paint again. Sun therapy and her determination finally won over her condition and Srilekha could again move around in her wheelchair.
A normal individual may see Srilekha as a victim of nature that brought her on the Earth with such a condition. But, Srilekha sees things in quite a different way. She says “We learn a lot from nature and nature doesn’t differentiate between the abled and the disabled”. She refuses to be called disabled. She is capable! And, our capable mouth artist is so inspired by nature that most of her artwork is based on the theme of nature. Moreover, she trusts natural healing methods like Pyramid Meditation to keep her mentally and emotionally strong. It won’t be an overstatement if we say that Srilekha draws her fighting spirit and power directly from nature. As per her habit of seeing the silver lining in dark clouds, Srilekha has found something positive even in the devastating COVID pandemic. She says that the pandemic has given us the chance to connect to the whole world digitally. Before the advent of the pandemic, she used to take art classes in person. Now, her class has shifted to digital mediums like zoom through which she can connect to students sitting miles apart.
Her participation in VOSAP’s Art from Heart has also helped her gain more students from as far as the USA. She says that Art from Heart provided a great platform for artists like her to gain more recognition. The platform helped her gain several short-term and long-term projects from Bay Area, California. She also got to build connections with fellow artists who participated in VOSAP’s art contest. Srilekha is a human being with a heart of gold. She knows the art of giving back to society. She did not only used the platform provided by VOSAP for her personal growth but also utilized the opportunity to help others. She found an artist with much limited physical abilities than her. She initiated the conversation from her side to guide the artist and his family about the financial opportunities available for artists. Srilekha is an artist who does not paint only to give her solace, she uses her talent to earn a living. She is a financially independent lady who tries to share her experience with other artists so that they can also turn their passion into a profession.
Due to her condition, Srilekha is dependent on others for her day-to-day activities. But, this does not stop her from living a life on her terms. She does whatever she can and doesn’t bother about the things she cannot do. She is a person who instantly becomes one of the favorite people to whomever she meets.
VOSAP wishes all the best to Srilekha for all her future endeavors. She is not just a great artist but a great person as well.
