Harshini Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Sep 6: Valencia Varsha D'Souza has made quite a name for herself amongst her peers for the exquisite paintings that she makes. A keen artist since her childhood, she has several awards to her credit for her unfettered talent.
A 10th standard student at SMS English Medium School, Brahmavar, Valencia is an only child to her parents Elizabeth and Richard D'Souza.
Her mother very proudly talks of her child's awards, naming Lions Club, Rotary Club and Ganeshotsav Samiti as some of the competitions that she has participated in. She also says that Valencia is a sure winner no matter which painting competition she enlists herself for.
Her agile flair for painting was brought to her parents' attention by her primary school drawing teacher Vani. Since then her parents and family have wholeheartedly embraced and supported her talent. They have helped her learn the art form as well as encouraged her to participate in various competitions.
She won the first prize in the state-level drawing competition held at Bangalore and went on to win second place for art at Nitte. She is able translate on to canvas near replica's of all that she can see or imagine. She has already reproduced on paper stunning images of Yakshagana artistes in their resplendent attire, the festive splendour of the Rathotsava, the divinity of Lord Ganesha and the mystic beauty of Shankuntala among others.
She continues her training in painting and drawing with the Udupi Drushya Artist Forum, where she is tutored by Ramesh Rao. While Valencia spends a lot of time with her art work, she is conscientious to not limit herself to a single field. She is quite good at sports as well as her studies of the Bharatnatyam dance form and harbours the ambition of becoming a heart specialist someday.
Fr David Crasta, head of SMS Educational Institution considers her talent, a divine gift and talent as such knows no boundaries. Most children today lose the opportunity of nurturing their god given talents in the tools of modern technology such as mobile phones and the television. It is imperative that various institutions recognise and hearten her talent.