Ex-soldier paints a new life with his mouth

Ex-soldier paints a new life with his mouth

PUNE: Mridul Ghosh worked in the Indian Air Force and was involved in an on-duty accident in which he injured his C5 and C6 vertebrae. 

The 31-year-old from Gruah village of West Bengal  was discharged from service in 2013 after three years of treatment. A life confined to a wheelchair with four paralysed limbs did not stop him from pursuing his dreams. 

New passion
Ghosh lives at the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Khadki, where men from armed forces who have received spinal cord injury and are discharged from service, are rehabilitated. 

He took up his hobby of painting, as a way to express his feelings and thoughts to the world.

Ghosh found Mouth & Foot Artists Association’s contact details on the Internet, who then sent trainers to teach Ghosh mouth painting.
 
From that day, Mridul did not stop. He has painted over 100 paintings till now. 

“There were no doctors in our village, no electricity and overall there were only two four-wheelers in the entire village. So going to the doctor was a task,” he said, on being asked the reason why he shifted to Khadki. 

Setting base in Khadki 
“Shifting to the Paraplegic Centre was very favourable to me. The Military Hospital is close to our centre and we get immediate medical assistance. I have good friends here and they are my family now,” he added.

He feels the government should make such centres for civilians too, where they can be encouraged and relief can be provided to their families to cope with the loss. 

Ghosh said after the accident, he was in depression. “I felt like I have nothing left to achieve. But the art of mouth painting gave me new hope. These paintings have given me recognition and satisfaction. Today, I am one of the members of the Mouth & Foot Artists Association,” he said. 

“I get so engrossed in painting my mind on the canvas, that I forget all the pain, tragedy of life and the trauma I have been through. Since I’m quadriplegic, I cannot use my hand and legs, but mouth painting is the only thing that I can do by myself and this gives me immense happiness,” said Ghosh. 

Ghosh is eagerly awaiting results of a painting competition held by National Geographic Channel on ‘Celebration of Democracy’. 

Inspiration galore 
Ghosh inspired three other paraplegic soldiers to take up mouth-painting - Navy’s Sudam Bisoyi, Army’s Bhim Karki and Prashant Kamble. 

Bisoyi said, “Being a quadriplegic, I could not play sports and I wanted to do something to pass my time and learn new things. So I started making mouth paintings. I used to engross myself in making paintings for hours, which helped me come out of depression. People who come to meet us at the Centre appreciate our paintings, which make me feel really good.”

Karki feels people notice him and recognise him for his work, which is an achievement for him. Kamble said painting keeps him away from negative thoughts. 

Inspiring Others
Mridul Ghosh has inspired three more ex-soldiers who were injured in the line of duty, to take up mouth painting. Navy’s Sudam Bisoyi (29) from Orissa, and Army’s Bhim Karki (27) from Manipur and Prashant Kamble (29) from Karnataka have taken up mouth painting. They have made more than 40 paintings each till now.

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