Date:14/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/14/stories/2006011417980200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Inspiring people to cross barriers

Staff Reporter

A WINNER AGAINST ALL ODDS: Preethi Bhat

BANGALORE: After a prolonged battle of survival, Preethi Bhat (30) has become a person who can inspire people cross barriers.

When you visit the first exhibition of her paintings on Sunday at ITC Windsor Sheraton Hotel, you may not realise that this woman has been through tough physical and mental challenges.

She was on nasal feeding for the first three months of her life. She had many surgeries done by the time she was five years old.

She used surgical shoes till she was 16. She had an eardrum transplant, incision of the eye duct and tonsillectomy. Her health problems stunted her growth — both mental and physical.

She attended speech therapy for three years to correct her misarticulated speech. She went to a special needs school for 10 years since 1980 to develop basic verbal reading, writing and math skills and then to Spastics Society of Karnataka for vocational training. She completed teacher aide training programme at Baldwin Opportunity School by winning the Best Teacher Aide award last year.

Her mother encouraged her to take to painting when she was 11. Preethi now has 25 frames to her credit, including a few she has gifted to her cousins.

Her younger brother, Vikram, and sister-in-law, Kalpana, who are in San Fransisco, too are proud owners of her works. They are specially flying in to share her excitement and "to be there for her first exhibition".

Minister for Finance and Industries P.G.R. Sindhia will inaugurate the exhibition. Pushpa Dravid will attend. The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Preethi's father, U.B. Bhat, is instituting three rolling shields with cash prizes at Marthoma Opportunity School, Baldwin Opportunity School and Bethany Special School. This is to encourage mentally challenged children to become artists. The institutions will get the shields at the inauguration.