No Kidding

The annual Khushii 8216;India on Canvas8217; auction, that brings together celebrities and artists has shifted to Dubai this year but for Delhiites who are now accustomed to city celebrities brandishing a paint brush...

After celebrities attempt to prove their artistic prowess, Khushii gets children to wield the brush

The annual Khushii 8216;India on Canvas8217; auction, that brings together celebrities and artists has shifted to Dubai this year but for Delhiites who are now accustomed to city celebrities brandishing a paint brush, the NGO has lined up an alternative, children. Today, the walls of the French Embassy in Delhi will be decorated with canvases made by children of celebrities, in collaboration with renowned artists. Amid the 141 canvases on display will be Raveena Tandon8217;s three-year-old daughter Rasha8217;s artwork painted with Gunjan Cowlagi and Kapil Dev8217;s daughter Amiya, 12, has joined hands with Sanjay Kumar. Actor Sushmita Sen8217;s daughter, Rene, 12, has shown her artistic prowess on a canvas with Devyani Parikh and Manpreet Brar8217;s children, Om, 4 and Lakshmie, 2, have painted with Sidharth, Sudip Roy and Dharmendra Rathore. 8220;The project is a result of the keen interest shown by children when artists visited celebrity homes to paint during the past auctions organised by Khushii,8221; states Ravneet Gill, associate member, Khushii.

So while in the public domain, Lalit Kala Akademi is considering the proposition of promoting art by suspending prints of work by modern artists in classrooms in Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Schools across the country. A similar endeavour had Khushii organise three-day workshops for children. Held during the last three months, costing Rs 25,000, this had artists paint along with children on a common canvas. 8220;The aim was to let them explore their talent without inhibitions,8221; states artist Sidharth. The collaborated canvas with Om has a figure with folded hands painted over an abstract landscape. 8220;The initiative helped introduce children to the nuances of art,8221; adds Manpreet Brar.

Artist Sangeeta Murthy agrees. In her collaborative acrylic on canvas with Yuv, 13, son of businessman Sumant Bharat Ram, she has depicted her passion for architecture and his interest in sport on a blue backdrop. 8220;We wanted it to be a work that represented our interests so that it would be a truly combined effort,8221; says she.

The canvases that will go back to children post the exhibition are not on sale but collectors could bid for some of the works painted by children from NGOs like Balvihar and Pratham and artwork created over paw prints of elephants for a project initiated by Wildlife SOS. 8220;The proceeds will be passed to the respective NGOs,8221; says Gill. For Khushii, on the other hand, funds will pour in from the Dubai auction scheduled on November 29. This is where the NGO will exhibit canvases painted by David Beckham, Patricia Mills and Ratan Tata amid others. 8220;This will be closely monitored,8221; smiles Gill, looking forward to the Middle East sojourn. For the more humble Delhiites, meanwhile, all roads lead to the French Embassy.