PICTURE SPEAK

IN MEMORIAM: Gupta (right) with the Aggarwals

A few weeks ago, Kusum Devi and Ajay Aggarwal of Jaipur had an unusual visitor. There was a young, bearded man at their door, carrying the portrait of their son, Major Yogesh Aggarwal, who was killed while fighting terrorists in Baramullah last year. It was an unembellished painting of Yogesh in the backdrop of the Tricolour. For the Aggarwals, it was a unique tribute. "It was a touching moment," says an emotional Aggarwal.

For 35-year-old artist Chandra Prakash Gupta, immortalising the war heroes of Rajasthan is a calling. Over the past six years, he has made it his mission to make portraits of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the nation. It all began in 1999 with the Kargil War. Gupta, sitting in his crammed Devdas Studio in Chaura Rasta Bazaar, painted, on an impulse, the picture of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja whose aircraft had been shot down by a Pakistani missile. Since then Gupta has done 135 portraits, of which 85 are those of Kargil martyrs.

The flourish of Gupta's brush apart, there is much effort that goes into a painting. As soon as Gupta learns of the martyrdom of a soldier, he gets in touch with his family or the Sainik Welfare Department for a photograph. Then for a week, it is furious brush work in the studio. Once the portrait is done, a memorial in colours, Gupta writes to the soldier's family, requesting them to collect it. Or else, as he did with the Aggarwals, he carries the finished work to their doorstep. With a missionary zeal, Gupta has crisscrossed Rajasthan, travelling to about 50 villages. And he doesn't charge a penny for the painting. The money, he says, comes from his commercial work.

Inheriting the gift of making portraits from his father Brij Mohan, Gupta dreamt of becoming an artist. But soon he realised that his work acquired a deeper shade when he commemorated the warriors of his land. And it hasn't gone unnoticed. Former governor of Rajasthan Anshuman Singh acknowledged Gupta's efforts by awarding him Rs 5,000 and presenting 20 of his paintings to bereaved families. "It is heartrending to see young widows with infants in their arms and aged parents mourning their sons," says Gupta. But when he presents them the portrait, their wan faces break into a faint smile. And that is the reward of a lifetime.

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