Moved by a CCTV footage of a railwayman’s brave act that went viral, noted painter Machiraju Ramachandra Rao has worked on a unique painting to salute in his own way the country’s newfound hero Mayur Shelke.
Mr. Shelke, a pointsman, rushed in time to save the life of a six-year-old boy who fell on the railway track when a train was hurtling towards them, at Vangani Railway station in Mumbai recently.
Giving final touches his oil painting measuring 28 x 23 inches, Mr. Machiraju said that Mr. Shelke, who risked his life to save the boy, was his real-life hero. The painter said he was moved by Mr. Shelke’s act of donating half of the reward amount of ₹50,000 that he received from the railways department to the visually-challenged mother of the child he had saved.
“None could match his bravery and large-heartedness,” the painter said.
Mr. Shelke had also asked everyone to donate money to support needy women and children during such difficult times, said the painter, who is closely associated with noted Tollywood director Trivikram Srinivas and actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and won appreciation for his eye-catching collection of paintings both at the national and international level.
