She may look like a young girl of 13 or 14 years old and it is difficult to guess the real age of Karishma Kannan, a 20-year-old Indian who was born with Down’s syndrome.
Some people let the cruel fate of life get them down, but not Kannan who has all the will in the world and she decided to try and inspire others with similar handicaps through paintings.

‘Karishma - The miracle’ painting exhibition with the theme ‘I can, you can, we can’ will be held on Friday night at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon in District 1 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m..

Kannan’s goal is to see other kids in situations similar to herself make an impact on society. The exhibition aims to raise funds for Gia Dinh Special School in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District and Kon Tum Sponsoring Association which is home to the elderly from ethnic minorities, the disabled, orphans and Orange Agent child victims in the central highland province of Kon Tum with all of Kannan’s paintings up for grabs.

Karishma moved to Vietnam in 2008 with her parents and an accidental meeting with English teacher Cyndi Beaumont, who is also an artist, changed Kannan’s life.

With Beaumont’s help and guidance she discovered that she had a talent for art, and also that when she paints and draws it improves her concentration skills, something that is notoriously difficult for Down’s sufferers.

Kannan started to paint just two years ago but the world through Karishma’s eyes in her paintings is  beautifully colorful. She paints landscapes and floral subjects at a good level and many of her works follow the study of famous artists or art techniques.

She has amassed 45 pantings which cover places she has visited, her home town, her home, the people around her and numerous flowers.

“Karishma’s love of art shines through so clearly with her enthusiasm and thoughtfulness being applied to every artwork,” said Beaumont.

While some experts have said her works are ‘full of generosity with bright blocks of color, showing her pure heart which is filled with love and nature’.

SGT