‘Sanson ki mala pe sumruun main pee kaa naam….’ A mehfil is in progress atop an old building with teal painted doors and windows at Chalappuram in Kozhikode. The thin gathering is thoroughly engrossed in the song and the young singer’s husky voice is slowly growing on them. Many swayed to the soulful rhythm, a young woman clad in a colourful floral print dress and a head scarf in the front row catches one’s attention. As you realise that her hands are not visible, a volunteer came in and whispered, “That is Ullu’.
As Ullu moved towards the next room for a waiting television crew, her height and asymmetrical legs are more pronounced. She later said she did not want to leave the mehfil so soon, as all this was new to her; the outings, friends, fans, well-wishers…. It has only been around two years since Ummil Kuls, fondly called ‘Ullu’ by her family and friends started enjoying life, all thanks to her unique talent.
Talented
Ullu has hit the news headlines quite recently as the artist who paints with her feet. As a matter of fact, for one who was born without hands, Ullu has achieved quite a lot and is much dexterous with her feet. She comes from Puthukode in Palakkad District where she was born as the fourth daughter of Muhammed Haneefa and Umaiba, 31 years ago. Her father, who discovered her unique talent, encouraged her to pursue it. He was her strength to fight against a society that saw her differently and made fun of her. But Haneefa’s death three years ago came as a blow to Ullu, who began to see how she was a burden to her family comprising her mother and two unmarried/divorced elder sisters. The indifference of her elder brother and family was an added blow.
Suhara came as a breath of fresh air for Ullu. An engineering student from the same locality, Suhara met Ullu at a wedding and the two clicked. It was her efforts that turned Ullu into a mini celebrity in the following days.
Suhara organised exhibitions of Ullu’s paintings and roped in more friends for support. Reports of her talent appeared in the regional media and help started pouring in from individuals and organisations. “This is my fourth exhibition this month. Most of the paintings I made recently have been sold,” she says, her attention partly on the mehfil, still in progress, which was organised in her honour at the end of a month-long exhibition titled ‘Shade’ at Mann Café.
Now, society has stepped in to raise funds to support Ullu’s family. A house is being constructed next to her old house on a plot that came as the sisters’ share of property. “My mother and sisters love me. They do not see me as a burden. Hence they have signed off the property completely in my name so that we could build a house of our own. They know that I am not going to run away with it,” she says.
Association with Suhara and the publicity has infused spirit into Ullu these days. “She now feels that she can do something for her family and that she is not a burden. She also wants to do something for the unemployed women in her neighborhood,” says Suhara. said.
Ullu makes paper pens (seed pens) like a pro and feels that paper-pen-making along with other crafts and soft skills could provide a decent income to women like her sisters. She plans to convert one room in her new house as a training centre for the purpose. Ullu, who dropped out of school after second standard, is thus becoming a teacher. “All my life, I have only received help. Now, it’s my turn to help some one.” She has donated one-third of the proceeds from her first painting sale to a child who had kidney ailment. As she sits down to demonstrate her paintings skills to the TV crew, she starts with a black back ground indicating the darkness that used to be in her life and then fills it with a splash of colours from her present life.