A 14-year-old girl's passion for painting paid off as her artworks have made their way to London to adorn the walls of a restaurant.
Syeda Ashna Turabi, a class 10 student, is elated as her six paintings including an art work of historic Charminar, Mecca Masjid and its surroundings have been displayed at Adeena's Kitchen, a restaurant opened in South London last week.
The art works attracted the attention of a businessman when Ashna's father had posted them on social media.
Impressed by her paintings, Syed Amjad Ali bought six of them for his restaurant, which serves Indian, especially Hyderabadi food.
The artworks in acrylic and of different sizes have adorned the walls of the restaurant.
"Thanks to Almighty Allah I have achieved this success and I hope to carry this forward," Ashna told IANS.
Painting came naturally for this Hyderabadi who took keen interest in drawing and colouring since her nursery school days.
Like many children of her age, she was fond of drawing and colouring. However, she persisted with her hobby as she moved to high school and it turned into a passion.
Urooj Ahmed, a freelance photojournalist, did everything possible to encourage Ashna, the eldest of his three daughters.
"I realized that she has some special talents in her and provided her all the required support and encouragement," he said.
Ashna has done her artworks with all including oil paint, coffee, ink, water colours, and acrylic
What makes Ashna's achievement special is she learnt the art on her own. "She used to spend hours working on canvases and with every painting she improved," said Urooj Ahmed.
Ashna, however, received some guidance and useful tips from Fawad Tamkanat, a leading artist and son of well-known Urdu poet Shaz Tamkanat.
Last year, Urooj Ahmed started uploading her works on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Ashna now plans to do a series of paintings on Indian culture and heritage. "I want to do a series of paintings on different subjects like various dynasties and monuments," she said.
She also wishes to organise an exhibition to display her artworks. "It will take some time as I want to focus on studies while continuing the art in the available time," she added.
