DAVANAGERE: If you thought all that the police constables like to wield in their hands is a lathi, well, you were wrong. Chaand Basha, a Davanagere-based police constable, brandishes a paintbrush with just as much aplomb.

“Painting and art are like addictions,” Basha tells TNSE. “No matter how far the artist goes, art will pull him back like a magnet attracts iron,” he adds. Basha, who pursues the activity in his free time, has created more than 100 paintings so far. He uses watercolour, oil colour and markers as well as a pencil to create his artworks.

The 27-year-old policeman took his inspiration and tutorials from veteran artist V T Kale, the former chairman of Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy. Basha was good at painting right from the time he was a primary school student and participated in state-level competitions in school. As he started winning prizes in competitions, his father, Nazir Basha, engaged Kale to train him when he was 12 years old. Nazir, who worked at a bakery, was fond of his son’s paintings, and the young one would often paint portraits for his happiness.

Basha, who hails from Kudligi in Ballari district, pursued his primary schooling at Hiremutt School, before shifting to Government Junior College in Kudligi. After his PUC, he could not continue his studies due to the poor economic condition of the family. He started working in a mobile phone shop for some time, following which he got selected as a police constable. He had to start working soon after his father’s death.

The loss broke his heart and he gave up painting. But he later realised that his soul was longing for painting and found his inner peace in the activity.

Basha now has a list of 30-35 ideas which he saw in Youtube like paintings done using electric wires, shirt buttons and steel spoons which he wants to bring alive through his art.

“These ideas can take me to exhibitions at the national and international level,” he says, recounting that in June 2018, he participated in an exhibition organised by the Karnataka police at Chitrakala Parishat in Bengaluru.  

Davanagere SP Chethan R too assured him of organising an exhibition of all his paintings, following which he exhibited his works last month and received a lot of appreciation and encouragement from the department. He said he improved his painting styles because of the support provided by  the Davanagere SP . The SP is proud that he has a talented artist in his department.
Former IPS officer K. Annamalai also purchased one of his paintings at an exhibition recently.
Basha also wants to create portraits using electric wires, buttons and steel spoons. One of his admired pieces is a portrait of former minister Shamanur Shivashan-karappa, for which he used 2,500 nails.
Basha also paints portraits of people and gifts it to them.