Chennai: At a time when the business of handicraft is finding limited takers, a Thiruvanmiyur teen is going all out, exploring her talent in the same and making the most of it.
Gayathri Parthasarathy (17) is a college-goer. But along with the support of her mother Sripriya Parthasarathy, she creates wonders from paper and does painting too.
Speaking to News Today, she says, “I am pursuing my undergraduate in 
Psychology at Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science. I started indulging in art from the age of 11, as I used to get bored during vacations and my mother made me engage in these. The first thing I learnt was paper quilling.”
She says, she first began making rolls and flowers. “I now have 60 earrings (that I made) to match with clothes and also occasionally gift my friends. But I don’t sell them,” she says.
Her house is a visitor’s delight, decorated with quilling wall hangings and other handmade crafts. “Indulging in art started off as a hobby. Later, I went on to do glass painting too,” she states.
Among her works, the idols of Krishna and Radha take the limelight in all grandeur. “I got the unpainted terracotta statues from Mahabalipuram. I then painted them with acrylic colours,” she says, adding, “I love to decorate my home with my work, as it gives me a lot of contentment. When people come and enquire, it makes you feel good.”
Does she wish to take this as a profession? She is skeptical, as her heart is set on something else, or so it seems. “I am doing a certificate course at Ramakrishna University, on learning how to help people with special needs. I am going to pursue that seriously,” she signs off.