Prince with a Paintbrush: The Story of Raja Ravi Varma
by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
When other kids were busy playing hopscotch with friends, seven-year-old Ravi Varma was painting on the walls of his house. Spotting his nephew’s artistic talent, his uncle Rajaraja Varma took him to the court of the Maharaja of Travancore to study and practice art. The rest, they say, is history.
This magnificently illustrated biography will help young readers discover the life and works of Raja Ravi Varma, the artist who was born into royalty but earned the title of ‘Raja’ for his creativity on canvas.
April, 2021 (Published by Red Panda)
Reviews
BookedforLife Review
The Chakkar Review
Beyond The Box Review
As I turn the pages of this mesmerizing book for children – Prince With A Paintbrush” by the very talented storyteller Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan and gifted illustrator Rayika Sen, I am led by a cute and curious little girl through the life of one of the greatest artists of India.
This is the story of Raja Ravi Varma, the nineteenth century painter who made Indian mythology popular. Unknown to us his art has always been a part of our lives in the form of calendars, comics and lithographs. An artist who effortlessly straddled the styles of West and East, he eventually created his own genre. His highly intricate portraits unashamedly celebrated Indian women in all their traditional beauty. And when his art became unaffordable he printed lithographs for the common man. RRV, you tick all the boxes for me.
This book is definitely a ‘keeper’. Author and storyteller Shobha tells us the story with a warmth and passion that is infectious. Every page brings with it a burst of colour and positivity. Writing a book for children is a rare talent, but even I could not put it down till the end. It made me want to know more.
I believe it is said that “the story of contemporary Indian art was never the same after Ravi Varma had entered it. He left his imprint on almost every aspect of it.” So true.
Acclaimed artist Nalini Malani recreated Ravi Varma’s “Galaxy of Musicians” in her video installation “Unity in Diversity”. Contemporary Indian photographer Pushpamala recreated several Ravi Varma paintings with herself as the subject. I’m sure there’s plenty more.
This Mother’s Day, I urge young moms to pick up this book and read it to their children. It’ll be enchanting all round. And if it encourages your young ones to pick up books and start reading again, well, that’s just fabulous.
Thank you Shobha, for this precious little gem. The art world wants more!”
– Review from Aban Desai, artist and art curator
A collection of reviews by the young readers of Bookosmia