ASD is a group of developmental disabilities that may cause social, communication and behavioural challenges.
“He was diagnosed just a few days after his third birthday and that was a real shock to me and my husband. We immediately started therapy and began reading to learn as much as we could to be there for our son,” Vharma’s mother, Rajesweri told FMT.
His talent for painting was discovered when he was just four years old. Eager to find new forms of therapy, Vharma’s uncle introduced the boy to painting.
“He gave Vharma three pictures to paint. He expected him to take one month to complete it but Vharma completed it in just three days,” Rajesweri said, adding that they were all rather shocked.
Though Vharma is able to speak, Rajesweri says that it can sometimes be difficult for him to put his thoughts and feelings into words. Instead, he often gives one-word responses.
“His paintings are always bright and colourful. Even if it is a lion, he will paint it purple or he will paint a giraffe green.”
Like any parent, Rajesweri was concerned at first but has since realised that Vharma uses these bright colours to communicate his sense of joy.
Vharma loves animals and usually paints the toys he has in his room. “Recently we discovered that he really likes cats as he completed 10 paintings of cats,” Rajesweri said, laughing.
In the past, Rajesweri would draw the image Vharma requested so he could paint inside the lines. Recently however, Vharma has been drawing his own pictures.
“The drawings are based on things he sees around him but the colours he uses to paint them are based on his imagination,” she said, adding that even when shopping for paint, Vharma always picks the bright colours.
Today, this little boy has become somewhat famous for his paintings. His artwork first caught people’s attention when his parents showcased his paintings at an exhibition by KPJ Tawakkal for their open day in 2019.
“We did not know what to expect as this was completely new to us but to our surprise everyone loved Vharma’s work and many even bought his paintings,” Rajesweri said.
The first exhibition opened doors for Vharma and he has been invited five other times to showcase his artwork, the most recent being in December last year where he was the youngest artist. He has sold over 25 paintings.
Vharma has recently started school under an integrated special education programme in a public school.
Rajesweri said getting Vharma ready for school was definitely a challenge and she had to train him on how to socialise and communicate with others. Thankfully, he has been coping quite well so far.
She said that she and her husband were initially reluctant to share Vharma’s story for fear of how people may criticise their parenting style.
However, after a lot of discussion, they agreed to share their son’s story in the hopes of helping other parents who were going through a similar situation. “I remember what it felt like when I first found out and I want people to know that there is hope,” she said.
“Before finding out that my son was autistic, my husband and I had many plans for our son’s future and a lot had to change since his diagnosis. But I am glad that he has found something that he enjoys and that he is able to understand himself and the world around him.”
His parents hope that Vharma can be an inspiration to other young autistic children to follow their passion and chase after their dreams.
Head on over to Vharma’s Instagram page set up by his parents to see his body of work.