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 Imagine
a painting that is not filled with lines and shades, but is
made up of millions of miniscule letters and symbols. That
is just what Chennai's most remarkable calligraphy artist
achieves.
Saroja Nagarathinam, at 72, has been practising this rare
form of calligraphy for over thirty years now. What is
astounding is the fact that she did not have a teacher.
Behind her success lies her husband Nagarathinam's
encouragement and support.
Before she begins any new work, she seeks the blessings of
His holiness Late Chandrasekhar Acharya of Kanchi Kama Koti
Peedam. Practising 7 to 8 hours a day in a cramped room,
she uses an old-fashioned quill brush and imported colour
inks. Each painting may take around 2 to 5 years for
completion, depending on the type of holy mantras to be
scribed. Hers is a painstaking endeavour (only for the
patient artist) as it cannot be erased or over lapped.
 One
of her masterpieces is a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi,
written with the syllable 'Ram'. This portrait was selected
for the first prize from among 3,000 entries worldwide for
the Mahatma Gandhi Centenary Celebrations. No wonder then
that this portrait earned the appreciation of former Prime
Minister - the Late Indira Gandhi.
Another awe-inspiring portrait is that of Thiruvalluvar,
the great Tamil saint. Saroja has painstakingly scribed the
1,330 verses of the Thirukkural (the saint's epic work),
thrice in that portrait. She has also done a portrait of
the Iranian queen, on request. And for this, she used holy
words from The Quran. This portrait earned widespread
appreciation, besides a gold medal in Teheran.
 Among
her other prominent works are paintings of Ashtalakshmi,
Nandi, Manavala Mamunigal, Sai Baba, Lord Ganesha and Lord
Vishnu. Some of her paintings adorn the Ashtalakshmi Temple
in Besant Nagar, Chennai. Some have also reached many other
places in India and abroad.
Address: Saroja Nagarathinam, # 73/4, Bazaar Road,
Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004,
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