News
Here’s Why This Jaipur Teacher is Forced to Sell His Art on the Streets
Suresh Gothwal is a happy artist who didn’t let his dignity shake even after losing his teaching job and going penniless.
Teachers don’t aspire a lot. They truly enjoy watching their students thrive and receive respect in return for their selfless dedication. A teacher’s loss is never monitory, it’s the honour and self-respect that they win or lose. One such teacher is Suresh Gothwal, an experienced artist and art teacher from Jaipur, who currently sits outside city's famous art centre with his artwork spread in front of him, in hopes of being noticed and earn a little money to buy food.
Gothwal, right before the worldwide lockdown began, was thrown out of his job after being labelled incompetent of handling the notorious students of his class, who obviously never took art curriculum seriously. He narrated his story to Humans of Jaipur City and remembered the difficult time that’s still haunting him.
To add to the agony, his wife and kids left him alone in the city. Clueless and with no money in his pocket, he started working for daily wages. “I worked in a godown, in a shop, as a court writer, as a construction painter, as a daily wage labourer, as a rag picker – almost anything that came to my mind, anything that could help me survive. I worked at a wheat mill that helped me secure some food or relied on gurudwaras,” Gothwal shared.
When the deadly virus-led disease started spreading like a forest fire and his survival became even harder, one of his neighbours was found infected and another died, escalating his concern. It was during this period that he began reminiscing his times in school as an art teacher.
“It gave me time to sit and think about my past – how I created little pieces of art. How my students greeted me in my previous teaching jobs.”
He then took charge of his life and started painting again, making art, doing what he loves with all his heart. And even though he may not be earning enough to afford two meals a day, it gives him immense pleasure to be back to doing something he recognises himself by.
Every morning, as he settles outside the building of Jawahar Kala Kendra alongside his exhibited art, he expects art lovers to notice his hard work and passion. “I don’t expect them to buy it but I want them to notice it. It’s only been a few days and some kind souls noticed, some bought and some are telling others. I am thankful to everyone and I wish it continues,” Gothwal said.
In fact, after the FB post went viral, people including ScooNews’ CEO, Mr Ravi Santlani, came forward to offer support to this talented artist. He wrote in the comment section, “Before we think about how to enable him to make his daily ends meet for the rest of the year, I’d like to buy all his paintings.” Another kind lady informed about signing him for an art project. We think it’s a brilliant beginning to Suresh Gothwal’s new chapter in life, agree?