An Inspiring Artist, Inspiring Story Of Ajay Garg; Must Read

Every miniature is a sculpture with its own character and story- Keri Lee, EU

Ajay Garg, a well-known Indian artist who is also deaf and dumb, has a long list of accomplishments to his name. Means of expression are limited for his kind. He battled to have his talent recognised but found his voice in his brush. He was able to silence the uncaring world with his quiet perseverance. His masterpieces were miniature paintings. He has won several awards for doing the same.

Ajay lost his ability to speak and hear at the age of three after an injection meant to treat a minor burn injury had a negative reaction. Ajay gladly embraced this as a challenge. He used his endless energy and never-ending restlessness as fuel for his paintings. It all began with the paint set his loving father gave him. His creative career began when he was five years old. Shri Sua Lal, an artist at the old palace of Dholpur, Rajasthan, acknowledged his skill. Ajay was an expert painter at the age of ten.  

Ajay's primary school education was restricted. His parents enrolled him in the Podar School for Deaf and Dumb out of concern for his future. As only sign language was utilised at the school, they quickly removed him because he was losing what little he could say. He was working with Asha Devi at the time, and she exposed him to the antique and extinct craft of miniature painting.

A miniature painting can only be 12 by 10 inches in size, but it can cover a wide range of topics with various narrative styles. The detail is so precise that you can even make out individual eyelashes on the subjects. To paint these minute details, Ajay makes use of a magnifying glass and a single hair brush.

He recently held a show at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. The paintings at the show, which I viewed, were breathtaking. When I interviewed Ajay’s elder brother Sanjay Garg he said, “Ajay is found of historical paintings i.e. Mughal time, also Radha-Krishna, and his most favourite is Ganpati”. The majority of his paintings, I noticed when I went to the exhibition, were of Lord Ganpati. He was shown in many time periods. In addition to cricket and skiing, Lord Ganpati was spotted playing hockey and badminton.

One artwork of Lord Ganpati in which there were 108 other Ganpatis, made me gasp and take my heart away. Look at this:

He has also participated in international exhibits. Garg utilises mineral and vegetable paints to create paintings with an eternal lifespan. To create a lasting colour, he turns entire stones into powder and mixes them with gum Arabic. 

He received the Maharaja Agrasen Rastriya Award in 2003 for his outstanding performance, as well as the Rajasthan State's Best Handicapped Person Award in 2003. On December 3, 2004, World Handicapped Day, President of India APJ Abdul Kalam presented him with the National Handicapped's Best Employee Award for 2004. Ajay received his medal from Smt. Vasundhara Raje, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, for his paintings being chosen for the State medal Rajasthan 2005-2006 (Handicraft). He received the Divyang Ratna Samman and Samaj Ratna Awards recently (2018).

Ajay is an active member of deaf & dumb organisation in Rajasthan and is actively concerned in the welfare of the deaf community. He always tries to help the underprivileged, usually disabled persons. Children with hearing impairments in Jaipur and underprivileged girls in an orphanage for girls run by the government of Rajasthan's Social Welfare Department are also receiving free training from him.