PETALING JAYA: Being differently-abled may come with an extra set of challenges, but for Porsche superfan Krithin Paul Pereira, having cerebral palsy is no obstacle to achieving his dreams.
The 22-year-old, who has been a car enthusiast for a long time, started drawing Porsche cars several years ago after being inspired by his sister Priyanka Pereira, 24, who at the time was starting art lessons.
“I like to draw Porsche because it’s a very high performance car,” said Krithin in an interview yesterday at his home here, where he sat under a series of framed Porsche illustrations sporting his signature vivid, electric colours and unique pen strokes.
According to Krithin, the German car manufacturer has a special place in his heart as it designed the world’s first-ever hybrid car in 1900, called the Lohner-Porsche Mixed Hybrid.
Krithin, whose favourite car is the fully electric Porsche Taycan, said he liked electric cars as they are “good for the earth”.
Krithin’s love for Porsche also led his family to self-publish a book in 2021, aptly titled Without Limits.
The book not only perfectly encapsulated his limitless passion for Porsche, but the title was also a nod on how Krithin lives his life.
In the book, Krithin talked about how his dream is to drive a Porsche some day, not knowing this would actually come true just a year later.
In October 2022, Porsche flew Krithin to Germany to give him a special tour of the Porsche design studio in Weissach.
There, he met with Porsche designers and shared his pictures and drawings of Porsche models, which designer Stephane Lenglin described as “outstanding and impressive”, and said had lots of potential.
Artist at work: Krithin sketching a sports car against the backdrop of his framed Porsche drawings at his home in Petaling Jaya.
Krithin’s visit also included a 12-lap spin in a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring at the iconic Hockenheimring circuit with a professional driver.
“Because the car was too fast, (after the ride), I said, ‘Thank God I’m alive’,” said Krithin with a cheeky smile.
Describing his Germany trip as “beautiful, satisfying and amazing”, Krithin is now onto his next dream, which is to design a luxury electric sports car for differently-abled people.
According to Krithin, it will have special features such as voice activation while artificial intelligence, along with modified interiors such as a lightweight steering wheel with minimal controls, would be among the features of the car.
Krithin is determined to keep exploring the automotive world not only as an artist but also an automotive student.
“I go to college and I’m studying automotive engineering. I’m studying at the Young Aces Technical College,” said Krithin, who is also a Yayasan Sime Darby scholar.
Krithin said while his condition does challenge his mobility, activities such as physical therapy, swimming, diving, horse riding and robotics have helped him improve his motor skills and abilities.
“Sometimes it can be very hard because (of) my hand, (it can be) difficult to hold a pen, but I never give up,” he said.
Krithin added that it made him feel proud of himself every time he finishes a painting.
“I want to inspire people because I was born with cerebral palsy, so it has a lot of challenges for me. (But) I don’t give up,” said Krithin, who also credited his parents, Jackson Pereira and Ashita Pereira, both engineers, as well as Priyanka, for their support.
He also acknowledged his art teacher Khalid MS, his home tutor Annabelle Ryan, as well as his lecturers in college, for guiding him.
His caretaker, Jules Bonifacio, 44, also plays a key role in helping Krithin perform his daily tasks.
Jackson, 55, said his son looks only at the bright side.
“My favourite thing about him is that he really doesn’t think his issues are big. He thinks every one of us has got our own problems.
“That’s how positive he is,” said Jackson, who added that Krithin has also motivated his family with how he pushes himself.
“It’s a lesson for every parent with a special child, that there are lots of things the child can achieve with motivation,” he said.
