How art can help combat Covid’s mental toll How art can help combat Covid’s mental toll As Covid cases surge in India, many are finding solace in crayons, pencil and water colours and in creating something new to keep their mental peace advertisement UPDATED: May 12, 2021 07:59 IST Lata Chaudhry, who suffers from advanced-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia paints to heal her rising anxiety during the pandemic Paints, canvasses and brushes have replaced the dull sight of forlorn roads and anxiety-inducing news reports in Lata Chaudhry’s daily routine. The 84-year-old Bandra resident, who suffers from advanced-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia, spends long hours painting village scenes and figures. Her focus is now fixed on depicting the Warli tribe that lives in the mountains along the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. This activity is the only proverbial silver lining in the day of the octogenarian who was getting adversely impacted by news of disease, suffering and death and the soundless lanes during the lockdown. In a bid to add a dash of hope and colour into her life, her son Paresh brought in a set of canvasses and paints a few months ago and urged Chaudhry to rekindle her long lost love for painting. Her family claims that ever since she picked up her paint brushes, “there has been no looking back”.