Nothing, not even Down Syndrome, could keep Hiral Singhal from rising and shining

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

No disabling condition can keep a talent latent for long. Artist Hiral Singhal, 18, is a live example of this. Despite having a genetic condition called Down Syndrome, Hiral, has mastered the art of living with it, rather than getting weighed down by it.

“What she is today is the result of the love and support of my entire family. I remember, when we got to know of her condition, it was very tough for me to come to terms with it. My in-laws were a solid support at that time. In fact, my mother-in-law never let me shed a single tear. My husband called Hiral his most prized possession,” reminisces Hiral’s mother Poonam.

Hiral Singhal and her family with The Dalai Lama

The love that child Hiral got helped her personality bloom. She not only did wel in her academics but also in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities at her school, The Shri Ram School, Maulsari (Gurugram). She played Badminton and Basketball; and turned into a keen swimmer, and even won an inter school swimming competition while in school. “She is an active child and wants to do multiple things,” informs the proud mom. “Even now, she is learning Key Board and dance – taking evening online classes,” she adds.

But amid all her interests, it is fine art that shines through.

An excellent artist, Hiral is having an exhibition of her art works, A Rendezvous With My Soul, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The solo show, currently on at Convention Foyer, has 25 of her works on display. Each of her works, abstract in nature, conveys hope and purity with gay abandon.

For someone who is not a trained painter, her works show maturity and dexterity beyond her years. It is almost as if some divine power is working through her lending surety and clarity to her mind and hands to create such beautiful art works. And seeing that each of her works is markedly different from the other doesn’t cease to amaze you.

Going through her works, it is not difficult to adjudge that her favourite colours are red and blue, perhaps two of the most powerful and emotive colours in the colour palate. “She has a keen sense of colours and aesthetics, and is quick to comment if something I am wearing doesn’t please her eye,” smiles Poonam.

Last month, two of her art works were put up at the NGMA in their exhibition titled Art Connect. Earlier, in September 2022, Hiral participated in a group show Walk Amongst Souls at AIFACS.

“She must been around four, when she first doodled, and the works were so beautiful that the National Trust of India picked up her works and got those printed on mugs and t-shirts through the sublimation technique. And exhibited at a number of locations in Delhi,” says Poonam talking about her daughter’s journey into the world of art.

But moving ahead, the girl got busy with her school, and art somehow got left behind.

It was in 2021, when the world was hit by the Covid pandemic that Hiral once again picked up her brush. “Perhaps, with nothing else to do, her mind was stress-free and hence got into the creative mode, and one after the other, Hiral created big and small abstract works, all of which are on display at the show,” says Poonam.

Seeing her works, and advised by a few senior artists, Hiral’s parents got her a studio Patel House, Shadipur, in the building of her entrepreneur dad’s office. “Earlier her room at home doubled as a studio. She is a cleanliness freak, and would want the room spick and span immediately after her work, so we thought of having a studio for her,” says Poonam.

The show is on till May 27,11m to 7pm