Overcoming a disability to breaking world records

NOIDA: Forty-one-years-old Asutosh Panigrahi is attempting to break a Guinness world record by painting the world’s largest indoor mural. Interestingly, the current record is also held by him and his team.

“We had painted the world’s largest indoor mural in Gwalior in 2005. We would pray that no one be able to break it. After nearly 13 years, we are going to break this record ourselves,” says the artist.

The older painting, located in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is 9,741 sq ft tall, while the newer one is nearly 22,000 sq ft tall.

“It is going to be part of a snow park that is going to open soon in a mall in Greater Noida,” says Panigrahi.

He added that it took him and five of his students, seven days and nights to finish the mural.

“All of us worked continuously for the past week. We started on May 11 and were able to finish by May 17. Everyone on the team is absolutely exhausted. But, we feel a sense of achievement now that it is done,” says Panigrahi.

Born and brought up in Orissa, Panigrahi suffers from a physical disability that has not let three of his fingers form completely.

“When I was a kid, everyone would tell me that I should probably just work at a ‘pan’ shop because of my disability. However, my love for painting kept me going and brought me where I am today,” he says.

Currently working as a drawing teacher with a government school in Delhi, Panigrahi has previously worked as a lecturer with the Agra University in the fine arts department.