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.”