Papamma Khader Art

Pappama Khader began painting in 2017, following the passing of her beloved husband, turning to art as a way to navigate her grief. Several years on, she continues to create, sharing her rich inner world through vibrant colours and distinctive brushstrokes. Her journey as an elderly artist has not been without challenges. Physically, she has had to adapt to painting with a hand partially paralyzed since childbirth. Socially, she has persevered despite local taboos and the lack of understanding surrounding art-making at her age.

Her work today stands as a testament to her resilience and indomitable spirit. Her paintings capture scenes from her hometown of Mangalore, and she titles them with poetry and humour.

She loves making friends with strangers, playing kook loo (peekaboo) with her great-grandchildren, cracking saucy jokes, gobbling down chocolates, and surprising everyone with her linguistic flair – despite never having gone to school, she speaks Beary, Tulu, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and English! In her younger days, she was an avid gardener and a gifted cook. 

“Artumma” is a playful portmanteau of “art” and “umma”, meaning “mother” in the local Beary language, reflecting both her creative identity and her cultural roots.