Nasir Aziz
Artists are born, not made. The case of Muneeb stands testimony to this. The 18-year-old boy is renowned in his village in Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for his impeccable painting and sketching skills.
When he would scribble and draw inconsistent images with a pencil at a tender age of two, little did his parents know what future had in store for him. Gradually, Muneeb’s sketches started becoming more refined and his creativity started to become apparent.
Talking about his inherent penchant for this art, a beaming Muneeb says, “I have a fondness to draw something right from my childhood, and at that time I did not know it will become aim of my life one day.”
“It was from 10th class onwards that I started taking it more seriously, putting in additional efforts and working harder,” he reveals.
Hitherto, he has participated in various competitions at block, district and state level and secured first position in all of them. Hailing from a very humble background, Muneeb is the the son of a local shopkeeper, Ali Muhammad Bhat. Recently he has completed his 12th standard and is now looking forward to taking admission in fine arts to fulfil his dream to be a reputed artist.
While keeping a photograph of a subject in front of him, he can draw an exact replica of it. He is skilled in art works like 3-D sketching, colour portrait, pencil sketching, and landscape painting. He began with painting but subsequently he was more inclined towards sketching. Muneeb admits that his sketch works were more liked by people and consume less time than painting.
“This is my natural talent, nobody guided me in this art work. Indeed, no one told me how to clutch the brush or pencil,” he avers. To develop finesse, he resorted to take video tutorials from the inetrnet pertinent to his art, which helped him hone his skills. “I was inspired by an artist, Vilas Nayak, whom I watched on TV one day. I was also attracted towards the art works of Aqeel Ahsan Wani,” says Muneeb.
Muneeb expresses gratitude to his family, friends and teachers, who supported and encouraged him through his journey. At the same time, he had to face criticism by many for choosing this art as a profession, to which he did not pay heed and moved forward.
His works revolve around and showcase the culture of Kashmir. “I want to portray the culture of Kashmir through my drawings. My goal is to preserve our culture,” says Muneeb.
