AMAZING
AMAZING
The Man who can Draw with a Typewriter
F O R 5 0 Y E A R S , C H A D R A K A N T B H I D E H A S B E E N M A K I N G P O R T R A I T S U S I N G T H E ‘ @ ’ , ‘ X ’ A N D ‘ - ’ S Y M B O L S O N T H E T Y P E W R I T E R .
" I wanted to study at the JJ School of Art to become a commercial artist , but , due to financial constraints , I couldn ' t study there ,” recounts Bhide , who describes himself as a ' self-taught ' artist . His father encouraged him to take up typewriting and stenography , as those were skills in demand at the time .
Chandrakant Bhide lives in a small house perched on top of a vibrant chawl in Dadar , Mumbai .
Bhide , who opted for voluntary retirement from Union Bank in 1996 , was gifted his favourite typewriter . " I went to the administration department of the bank with a request to purchase the typewriter . But they refused to give it away ," he recollects . After this , he met the chairman of the bank , Mr Panneer Selvam , and explained his desire to buy the device . Mr Selvam , taking note of the request , allowed Bhide to buy the typewriter for one rupee .
“ This is one of the greatest gifts I have received in all my life – my typewriter ,” says Bhide , pointing towards his tiny work station .
Bhide started making portraits with the alphabet ' x ', but his father motivated him to try other keys on the keyboard as well . " It is important to constantly push yourself and learn more ," he says .
The artist , who draws inspiration from the likes of RK Laxman , Mario Miranda and Vikas Sabnis , is currently learning to make art with the aid of computers . " It is not the same as typewriters , though . We can ' t undo or delete while working with a typewriter ," he adds .
Bhide ' s portraits are well known across Mumbai and the art has helped him meet famous personalities from several fields . “ Through this art form , I met so many people and personalities , and I took their autograph wherever possible . They , too , liked this idea .”