Nivaan's artistic euphoria

ART is diverse and has a different effect on everyone.

For nine-year-old Nivaan Ramjattan, it creates images in his mind that makes him happy.

He told Newsday Kids, "It (art) makes me euphoric. It's a party in my mind of ideas and (it's) enjoyable and euphoric."

The Grant Memorial Presbyterian School student said his artistic journey began when his parents, Sylesh Ramjattan and Narisha Singh began taking him to different art galleries across the country. He was so fascinated by it that his mother enrolled him in an art class. His love for art continued to grow so much that he eventually did pieces that were exhibited at the Rotunda Gallery in Port of Spain.

His painting, titled Roll Up The Tassa, was recently featured in the gallery's Indian Arrival Day exhibit. It shows tassa drummers playing their instruments to a vibrant crowd. In 2022, Celebrating in Colour, his painting of his family celebrating the festival of Phagwa was also featured at the gallery's Life Through The Eyes of a Child exhibit.

His favourite forms of art are landscape and still life, but he said he wants to try collages and portraits. He said he wants to try painting the Caroni Swamp very soon – a challenge given to him by Senate President Nigel de Freitas at the opening of the Rotunda Gallery's Arrival Day exhibit.

He said his parents are very supportive of him pursuing art and that his father helps him paint.

"I had a passion for it but never really explore it to that extent," his father, a lawyer, told Newsday Kids.

But his creative skills are not limited to art. In 2020 Nivaan placed second in the Bocas Lit Fest My Covid Experience competition, in which children had to submit their experiences during the pandemic. He was in six at the time.

"He ended up being one of the finalists and we had to shoot a video of him talking about his experiences. He placed second in the competition. The videos were posted on Facebook and he also won the People's Choice award," his mother said.

Additionally, Nivaan plays golf, tennis with the Pointe-A-Pierre Tennis Club, and is learning to play the keyboard and the harmonium at the Shiv Sangeet School of Music.

Although he hasn't yet made a decision, he said when he grows up he wants to become an artist, a lawyer like his father, or veterinarian because he loves animals, especially fishes.

View Nivaan's covid experiences here: