MUMBAI: From across the country, the stories of a hundred patients who triumphed over life-threatening illnesses and complex medical procedures are now immortalised in art. Forty-seven of these paintings are on display at the Jehangir Art Gallery until Jan 13.
Born from a unique collaboration between survivors, doctors and professional artists, these pieces offer a glimpse into diagnosis, treatment, the emotional struggles of families, hope, and, finally, recovery. The paintings span a vivid spectrum of ailments and medical procedures, from battles cancer and the life-altering journey of organ transplants to transformative processes of gender reassignment and the cycles of dialysis.
At the start of the exhibition is the story of a woman who lived with three hearts: The one she was born with and the two transplants she received after the first failed. Next to her is a painting of actor Shreyas Talpade, capturing his struggle to reach the hospital through Mumbai’s traffic and his near-death experience when he was brought in dead but later revived after multiple shocks.
Also featured nearby is the painting of Daisy D’Costa, India’s first woman to undergo cardiac bypass surgery in 1976. Now 93, she holds the record as the country’s longest-surviving bypass patient. “We have been working on this initiative, which we call Rang De Neela, for the last three years and were inspired by WHO’s statement that art can help in public health. These paintings will never be auctioned; we are trying to provide them with a permanent space in a govt-run facility,” said Dr Rajiv Kovil, a diabetologist who spearheaded this initiative.
One painting is of Dr Kovil’s mother, who struggled with a retinal infection after her cataract surgery went wrong in early 2000s. She went blind in one eye and had a corneal transplant, determined not to give up on her life as a teacher. Today, she lives with Alzheimer’s disease. “Doctor or not, a health crisis is always tough for caregivers,” Dr Kovil said.
Prashant Sankhe (60) has a dual role in the exhibition- that of a blood cancer survivor and an artist depicting his innermost fears. His painting depicts a man whose “soul” is being restored with two hands at the bottom of the canvas, inspired by Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. His wife Swapna said, “We saw the worst through chemotherapy and then when he got Covid-19, but his sense of humour was intact through it all. Families need to remember there is hope.”
