We all have at some point looked down upon school drops-outs, writing them off as failures or good-for-nothing, but after having met Ujjwal Negi and Abhishekh Yadav, I beg to differ.
This duo in their early 20’s found their calling elsewhere. For the past 2 years, armed with their palette; paint brushes and colours, they have been adding colour to their surroundings. I walk into them at the Tavern Café in Mussoorie where they worked night shifts turning the pale café walls into a virtual art gallery.
Love for colours was inherent for Ujjwal who tells us, “My father was a professional painter, but it never brought money home, so he took up a job instead. My family was unhappy when I choose to drop out of school and make this my passion, but over the years, my parents are proud of what I have achieved.”
Abhishekh left his Animation Course incomplete to pursue his hobby, “graffiti art, air brush painting; working on bikes; vehicles; cafes walls you name it and we do it, from Mumbai, Ranchi to Delhi and Dehradun, this is a medium of expressing ourselves and we feel satisfied working as a team.”
The duo are self-taught and hone their skills via Youtube and other online sites.The highlight of their journey, for both of them, has been being featured in Discovery Channel ‘India my way’ which was telecast on 1st of January 2017 giving them that much-wanted boost and recognition.
For them, there is no lack of canvass or creativity, Ujjwal and Abhishekh have showcased their canvass on wheels i.e. customized bikes and if that wasn’t all, the duo are experimenting with calli-graffiti art a fusion of ancient script writing and old english writing font. And as I leave the duo, I see them dipping their brush into their palette and adding colour to their sketches. As if in a trance, oblivious to whats around them the duo are lost in the world of colour and creativity, following their heart.
