The flood-relief painting
The largest single sum came from the 2018 Kerala floods. Verma made a painting for the NDTV and Tata Sky telethon campaign raising money for flood relief, and Faber Castell bought it for three lakh rupees.
The arithmetic of that is worth stating: one painting by a child accounted for the majority of the roughly five lakh rupees he is reported to have raised across all causes. The rest came from other sales and auctions of his work.
Painting to live music
In October 2017 he painted live on stage while the Grammy-winning sitar player Ustad Shujaat Khan performed. The painting was auctioned afterwards and raised fifty-five thousand rupees, which went to the Shri Ram Krishna Cancer Hospital in Deoband.
His account of how he approached it is the most revealing line in the reporting: "I had not decided beforehand in terms of what I wanted to paint; instead I wanted to follow the mood and the music of the evening." Improvising a painting in front of an audience, to music being played in the same room, is a different discipline from working in a studio.
Nine years of work
He began at three, according to the profile, drawing unusual characters and human figures, and by 12 had produced more than 400 artworks across a range of media and styles. His father, who shares an artistic inclination, is credited with recognising the interest early and encouraging it.
Four hundred works in nine years is roughly one a week sustained from early childhood. Whatever else the record shows, it shows persistence at a rate most adult painters do not maintain.
Where the work has been shown
His paintings have been exhibited at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi in 2015 — when he would have been about eight — and at an art fair in New Delhi. The profile also notes a website carrying his work.
On his own approach he is reported as saying his artwork reflects what is in his mind while he is creating it. The article does not describe a school, a teacher or a formal training programme behind the output.
Why the fundraising is the story
Child artists attract attention for precocity, and the attention rarely outlasts the novelty. What distinguishes this record is the destination of the money: a cancer hospital in Uttar Pradesh, and relief for a flood 2,500 kilometres from where he lives.
The 2018 Kerala floods were among the most severe in the state's recent history, and telethon fundraising was one of the main channels through which the rest of India contributed. A painting made for that campaign, sold at three lakh rupees, placed a twelve-year-old inside a national relief effort rather than beside it.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: his age, school and city in February 2019, the start at three, the 400-plus works, the live performance with Ustad Shujaat Khan in October 2017 and the fifty-five thousand rupees it raised, the three lakh rupees from the Kerala flood relief painting, the roughly five lakh rupee total, and the exhibitions listed.
Open: nothing in the sources gathered here describes his work after February 2019. Only one source was found, his is a common name, and this page repeats only what that outlet published about a child — no address, no timetable, no detail beyond it.
Watch: Aarav Verma on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aarav Verma | India | Painting since the age of three; more than 400 artworks by 12 | Age 3 |
| Elisabeth Anisimow | United States | Living paintings sold at 11 for $2,500-$5,000 each | Age 11 |
| Carmel Bechler | Israel | Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 | Age 16 |
| Andrea Dominizi | Italy | A beetle in the corner of the frame, logging machinery behind it, and a wo | Age 17 |
| Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas | Germany | Winning Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- More than 400 artworks by the age of 12, having started at three (The Better India, February 2019)
- Rs 3 lakh raised when Faber Castell bought his painting for the NDTV-Tata Sky Kerala flood relief telethon in 2018
- Rs 55,000 raised for Shri Ram Krishna Cancer Hospital, Deoband, from a painting made live at an October 2017 Ustad Shujaat Khan concert
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No reporting found on him after February 2019
- No training, teacher or formal art education described in the source
- Common name: other search results may refer to different people
Questions people ask about Aarav Verma
How much money has Aarav Verma raised?
About five lakh rupees across causes, according to the February 2019 profile, including three lakh from a single Kerala flood relief painting.
How old is Aarav Verma?
He was 12 and in grade seven when profiled in February 2019. No date of birth is published in that source.
When did he start painting?
At the age of three, according to the report, which credits his father with noticing and encouraging the interest.
What happened at the sitar concert?
In October 2017 he painted live while Ustad Shujaat Khan performed; the resulting work was auctioned for Rs 55,000 for a cancer hospital in Deoband.
Where has his work been exhibited?
At the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and at an art fair in New Delhi.
How many paintings has he made?
More than 400 across nine years, as of the 2019 report.
Where is Aarav Verma now?
Not documented. Only one source was found for this record and it dates from February 2019.
Is he on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article was found, and the name is common enough that other search results may refer to different people.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Aarav’s story?
How much did the Kerala flood relief painting raise?
Who was performing when Aarav Verma painted live in 2017?
At what age did he start painting?
Sources
- Exclusive: Meet a Child Prodigy Using His Talents to Raise Lakhs For Crucial Causes! — The Better India, 2019-02-19
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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