Viren Barar was never an artist. He barely gave a thought to the colour of his shirt. From being a typical corporate techie in the banking industry, to recently showcasing 30 of his artworks at an exhibition in Melbourne titled ‘Emergence’, it’s truly a transformation.
Not one that he ever planned for, though, and certainly not one that was easy. On the contrary, it’s the resurgence of the human spirit that just refused to give up and give in to the curve ball that life threw at him.
Viren is a stroke survivor, and the exhibition, held within the art precinct of Southgate in the heart of Melbourne showcased his passion to live joyfully – with artworks of nature, objects and everyday life drawn on canvas using gel pens in a multitude of colours. Interestingly, for a man who has never ever painted before, greens, blues and shades of orange and brown dominate his paint palette.
Life after stroke
For nearly two years now, the canvas has been Viren’s sole language to the world. He has lost the ability to speak following a ‘massive’ and life-altering brain stroke in December 2022 while on a trip to India. His wife Anita had stayed behind in Melbourne.
Viren had been just a week away from flying back home. It was an ordinary day, until he couldn’t grip the cup of tea his sister was offering him. His sister saw his body bend to one side, his face twisted awkwardly, and he couldn’t speak to complete a word.
Immediate action from family meant he got timely medical treatment. The blood clot that caused the stroke was successfully removed, but unfortunately, left behind acute Aphasia and Apraxia, affecting nearly 40% of his brain and irreversibly impairing his speech, language skills and comprehension. Thankfully his memory has remained unscathed.
Three years of multiple visits to a variety of specialist doctors, hospitals and sessions of therapy have allowed him to regain some of his physical fitness. He can play sports like tennis and badminton and can even be left independently for short durations.
Colouring his way back
Viren’s wife and carer Anita Barar says she is amazed by what his brain is continuing to do. Describing Viren’s rebound at life, she agrees it’s not been easy, but the positive spirit and motivation to live have outshone the steep road to recovery.
“It’s been a long road,” she describes. “We started with writing to communicate, as thankfully that ability remained intact. He had to re-learn how to simply move his lips as if to speak. It took a full year for him to master just eight basic sounds.”
The desire to do art came from Viren himself. “He had never picked up a paint brush before, but in 2024 he expressed that he wants to do colouring. We started off with a rough scrapbook from home, and then gradually moved to proper art paper. While he finds it difficult to concentrate on other tasks beyond 15 to 20 minutes, he can do art tirelessly for hours. His art is entirely self-taught; he uses gel pens to draw what he enjoys and whatever possibly returns to his mind as a memory – the botanical garden, a flower vase in our home, scenes of boating, children’s park etc,” she explains.
Stressing on the role of other family members in helping stroke survivors return to a new normal, Anita says, “One needs to remain patient, as it is a very slow process. Don’t try to play down the reality and surely stay away from pity for yourself or the survivor.”
Ignorance about the subject is immense, Anita rues. “Most people are only just scratching the surface,” she says from experience.
Viren’s exhibition was supported by Melbourne City Council’s Connected Neighbourhood Small Grant and proved to be a showcase of the transformative power of art in enhancing health and wellbeing.
The opening day included an information talk by Antonia Arfaras from the Stroke Foundation and speech pathologist Zoe Singer who both highlighted facts about stroke and the challenges that sufferers as well as carers face daily.
Learn more about stroke here: Stroke Foundation
READ ALSO: Neurologist Dr Sonu Bhaskar: ‘Harvesting’ blood clots for stroke research
