Was Determined To Paint If Not With My Hands, Then With Mouth: Painter Imli Sunep

This is the tale of a young artist from Aoyimti Dimapur named Imli Sunep, a self-taught artist whose sincere work lately gained the attention of individuals from Nagaland.

Despite Sunep’s lack of formal schooling, he was adamant that he would paint and tell his story.

Imli Sunep began painting at the young age of 12 and was born on August 28, 1998, in the village of Aoyimti in the Nagaland district of Dimapur.

“I was sitting outside one evening when I noticed the beautiful sunset and it was at that moment that I decided that I would be a painter no matter what. I was determined that even though I cannot use my hands, I would use my mouth to paint,” said Imli Sunep who was born with disabilities and cannot use either of his arms.

The young talented artist has so far painted 60 paintings.

The young self-taught artist from Aoyimti, Dimapur told Nagaland Tribune that he draws his inspiration from nature. “I like painting nature, especially landscapes,” he stated, adding that he rarely uses photography but instead focusses on the colours to create his art.

As part of the Startup Nagaland Policy 2019, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, YouthNet, and the Department of Industries and Commerce together held the PwD Startup Competition, where the founder of Sunep Art took home the top honour.
To top this accomplishment off, Sunep’s artwork “Ray of Hope” was sold for Rs 1,05,000 in an online auction that was organised by one of the mentors at YouthNet Incubation Centre.The artist, who is the youngest of his parents’ two boys, said that his family has always been his source of support.

Tiakumzuk, Sunep’s father, marvelled at his son’s accomplishments. He said that the family had been concerned for the boy because of his physical condition and that it was heart breaking that Sunep could not get school education but looking at his talent now, they are amazed and grateful.

“I feel great pride for my son,” Tiakumzuk said.

He narrated how in 2020, Sunep wanted to try painting using his mouth and slowly and step by step, he got better at it. At the same time, he hoped that his son would get even better in the future.

Acknowledging the contributions of those who promoted Sunep, he made a special mention of their local church for giving his son the first platform to showcase his art. The father of the painter particularly acknowledged M Jamir for counselling them to encourage Sunep and to promote his God-given talent to the bigger crowd.

Tiakumzuk also pointed out that his son had done a live show at the program organised by the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD), Nagaland on International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022 at Kohima. He added that his son had also won the first prize at the PwD Startup Competition and thanked YouthNet for the opportunity and the reward.

Sunep also praised YouthNet, expressing gratitude and pride at having won the contest. He also added that he will be able to complete additional work with the winnings from the prize money.His father put out an open call for people to support his artist son’s skill and give him opportunities at upcoming events.

In addition, Tiakumzuk said that having a disability was not a curse but a blessing and that everyone should treat them equally. He urged parents to enable their disabled children choose their own paths and support them as they discover their gifts rather than keeping them confined at home. He emphasised that because each person has been gifted by God, PwDs should not be treated differently or as being “useless.”
“We should believe that the PwDs can do things which we ‘normal’ people cannot do,” Imli Sunep’s father said.