An architect with a heart of gold

LINK : https://www.life.lk/article/Shehla-Latiff/16584#

Standing tall and poised with a dazzling smile, she is an embodiment of grace and sheer elegance; similar to Princess Diana. Yet, a deeper look into this beauty reveals nerves of steel and a strong will power. She was THE artist of our grade; drawing pictures for us, her friends. Her artistic flair superseded the rest as she displayed her talent and love for drawing at every given turn. One simply could not think of her apart from her drawing, it was an all-in-one package and later on it seemed natural that she would opt for art and follow a career that required drawing in some sense.

“Music was my first love,” to which I responded incredulously as I could not imagine her in collaboration with music as I along with our batch mates had always seen her as an artist extraordinaire. Some of us who were not gifted in the arts would coax her to complete some of our amateur attempts at drawing. She dabbled in lines, forms and colours but initially it was the cartoon figures of the latest ‘Gummi Bears’ that she impressed us with. Most of our autograph books etc are dotted with Shehla’s beautiful drawings. Under the tutelage of the famous Latifa Ismael, our budding artist flourished, investing all her energy into art.

Designing with passion

Her interest in architecture was spawned whilst perusing through various career options she could pursue; which was either to be an art teacher or architect. This purpose was etched in her heart from grade nine onwards and she persisted without looking back. Whilst researching about the scope in this field, she realized that she liked it more and more. It was no mean feat as it required seven years of extensive study. She vowed to pursue her dream, come hell or high water and she did so by pouring through her books to ensure that she passed her ordinary level and advance levels with flying colours. She relentlessly pursued her dream, unperturbed by the numerous obstacles that came her way.