Morpheus

Last week, I had the chance to speak with Manisha, the mother of a 16-year-old boy who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, along with 68% Specific Learning Disability (SLD). The most delightful part about talking to Manisha was that she was more excited at the prospect of sharing her son's artistic achievements with me than the difficulties he used them to cope with. And so, it is only fair for me to tell you the story of Morpheus starting with the art he creates. His natural propensity and budding fascination towards art was first noticed at school by his teachers in 4th Grade. Morpheus, due to Manisha’s support and his zeal to learn, enrolled himself in art classes and honed his dexterity and technique. Art brought a kind of buoyancy into his life because as Manisha remembers it, he began to improve in other aspects as well, including his studies. He applied the same level of determination that he had during his art while studying (in spite of his SLD) and passed his 10th Grade exams a little before the lockdown.

Speaking of lockdown, the pandemic wasn’t easy on anybody. Manisha gave me a brief account of how during the lockdown, Morpheus found himself severely depressed and started showing symptoms for Catatonia. Despite these difficulties and the sheer negativity that he must have been subjected to due to the pervasive social insensitivity of those who fail to understand neurodivergence, he chose to bank on his gift. He sublimated all his energy and continued creating art. In December 2022, Morpheus made calendars with his artwork on each page, of which he sold over 50 pieces. Other milestones related to how he coped with his Autism and comorbid conditions are important too. However, one of his milestones that Manisha proudly shared with me was that of the first time his art was displayed in an exhibition organized by ‘Soch Ke Rang’ at the Gold Club Chandigarh in May earlier this year. These milestones too deserve equal appreciation. People from all over the trcitiy also got the chance to buy his art at his second ever exhibition which was on for the whole of July at Elante Mall Chandigarh.

For Morpheus, his ‘disability’ cannot be eradicated from his life. But neither can his remarkable ability to paint his energy into something meaningful, which I believe to be immensely inspiring. His upcoming exhibitions will be held across many cities including Delhi, Ludhiana and Bhubaneshwar, and so his story will be shared, not through what he lacks, but through what he can give.

You can support Morpheus and view his art on his Instagram Handle: https://instagram.com/nag_artistbynature?igshid=YWYwM2I1ZDdmOQ==