Visakhapatnam: Pratima Botu makes a mark in world of art

Visakhapatnam : At a time when women are quick enough to determine their career interest at an early age, Pratima Botu discovered her passion after she became a mother.

Although she has no regrets for identifying her area of interest much later in her life, she says that she is thankful to her family, her elder daughter Dishita in particular, for making her realise her dreams. "At times, delayed results make us more content. And in my case it is so true," says the 37-year-old artist, who did a PG diploma in Fine Arts at Bharathiar University. When she was taking her daughter to art classes, Pratima got inspired by the themes her art teacher used to come up with. "That's when I realised that I should opt for a professional course. Though I pursued it pretty late in my life, nothing really stopped me from equipping myself required for the world of art when I decided to do so. And age is just a number," Pratima shares.

A native of Sompeta in Srikakulam, Pratima is now settled in Chennai for the past nine years. Adept in acrylics and watercolours as her painting medium, the self-taught artist participated in a plenty of exhibitions both at national and international levels and received awards. In her eight-year-long artistic journey, she received about a dozen awards, including bronze award in international contest presented by Speaking Art, Rabindranath Tagore award in an international contest conducted by Sarba Bharati, excellence award in an international contest hosted by Kalaratnam Foundation of Art Society and Raja Ravi Varma international gold award.

On occasions, Pratima received awards along with her daughter Dishita. "The level of excitement I used to feel when our art gets recognised at various platforms is difficult to put across in words. But those will remain as my special moments," says the artist on the eve of Mother's Day.

Most of Pratima's paintings highlight nature, diverse emotions of women and spiritual themes. Her 12-year-old daughter has a natural flair for painting and won medals and awards in various art contests as well. They did join the stage to receive awards together on occasions, including NATAA Telugu Nandi Award in art category. Together, they gained entry into the Indian Book of Records. "I am blessed with a supportive husband B Gopala Krishna, who works in a multinational company. Women empowerment lies in the family. There is nothing that women cannot achieve if she sets her heart into it," she opines.

Inspired by her mother and sister, Pratima's three-year-old younger daughter Ruthvika is skilled in wielding the paint brush too.

As Pratima trains students in art through online and offline classes, she says that her next move is to set up her own gallery and help groom people who aspire to become artists but never got a chance to do so.