NAGPUR: As against the innumerable abstracts that pass off as works of art, Chinmay Pradhan's paintings stand out for their visualization. Using mythological characters, 24-year-old Pradhan depicts contemporary concerns like environment, wildlife and the constant battle between good and evil.

However, he realizes that even gods require greater power to combat modern day evils. So he gives them wings and other modern gadgetry to fight. 'Last Straw', an acrylic, which is his favourite, shows a winged Krishna, angered by the vicious act of plucking of a peacock feather, resorting to the use of his Sudarshan chakra.

Kaali, the annihilator, has a robotic arm hanging from her waist. For this artist, Shiva the Neelkanth is the only one who can rid the earth of deadly pollution while Hanuman, who he depicts as a flying superhero, is the saviour of mankind.

Chandrakant Channe, dean of CISFA, from where Pradhan has done his masters in fine arts, says that the young boy listens to his inner voice. "I call him Dhwani. His paintings speak out so loudly," he says.

His line drawings are equally powerful. The work in charcoal demonstrates the purity and sharpness of his thoughts. Saluting the power and beauty of the wildcats, he gives them happy facial expressions as in the work titled 'Mom.'

Pradhan's hero is Superman. So the tiger gets wings to fight, an ordinary person gets wings of fancy to realize his dreams. Good and evil are characters out of cartoon films. These influences of advertisement and animation are a result of watching too much television, says his father Rajendra Pradhan.

"Our effort has been to keep his environment as normal as possible. This shows in the positivity that emerges on canvass. The desire to free the world of all evils is expressed in every painting," says the father.

It's a great sentiment coming from a boy who is hearing and speech impaired since birth. Chinmay was born with profound deafness. His first solo show, opened on Tuesday at CISFA Ki Chhoti Gallery, and will run till June 30.