Helping children express themselves through art

A desperate father searching for an art class located on the ground floor for his differently abled enthusiastic daughter brought them to Mylai School of Arts in Mylapore two years ago. February 22 will mark an important milestone for 14-year-old S. Parameswari, an aspiring artist from RA Puram. Five of her artworks will be showcased at Oviya Sangamam 2026, a one-day exhibition of artworks of established and upcoming artists from across the country.

Along with Parameswari, 30 other students of Mylai School of Arts in Mylapore are excited to find a platform to showcase their artworks at the same venue. Like her, a majority of them have a heartwarming story.

A Class IX student of Chennai High School in Kannammapet, T. Nagar, Parameswari says she first learnt to draw seeing videos on the phone. Seeing her interest in art, her father, who does painting-related works, set out to search for an institute only to find that most of them were a floor above the ground with no lift or escalator.

“The interest of this father and daughter is what has amazed me. Parameswari moves around with the help of a wheelchair and the only vehicle her father owns is a two-wheeler where he straps her and picks and drops her to classes every weekend,” says K. Kanakaraj, who has been running the academy for the last four years.

He charges a nominal fee from those who can afford the regular fee. “I had waived off the fee from Parameswari but her father insist that I take it for teaching my daughter. The two have a lot of dreams through art and I hope I can help them fulfil those dreams with my classes,” says Kanakaraj.

Another of his differently abled students R. Ashwanth comes from Nochikuppam. “His father is a fisherman and is often without work but he encourages his son to come to my classes,” he says, adding that he is grateful to Indian Art Factory for giving many aspiring artists a platform. Children of single parents and a few adults are among others finding satisfaction with the brush strokes.