Art with heart

There''s excitement in their voices as Ashish (9), Gurunath (15) and Ramesh (15) greet the visitor in unison: "Good morning, Tina aunty." These students of Pali-Chimbai Municipal School, adopted by Aseema Foundation, have been eagerly waiting to speak to Tina Ambani as she prepares for the Harmony show.
While the kids recall the fun they had at last year''s Harmony show, Tina too is thrilled at meeting them."Look how they''ve grown!" she exclaims to Dilbur Parekh, Aseema chairperson.
This year, like the last, Tina''s Harmony show (now in its eighth year) supports Aseema, a non-governmental organisation in their goal of rehabilitation of street children and in their mission to uphold every child''s right to education.
Says Tina, "Last year, I felt there was a need to add a new dimension and a certain depth to the show and decided to back Aseema. Their dedication was just overwhelming."
Though it''s been only a year, Aseema''s association with Harmony show has been fruitful. Says Parekh, a lawyer who worked for the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, says, "For the school, they''ve done up the bathrooms which were in a terrible condition; also the drainage system has been repaired and the next step is to do up the playground. Importantly, with the Harmony show, we are given exhibition space where we display all the artwork done by the children."
With the success of this venture, Tina decided to rope in yet another organisation for this year''s show. But, she remarks, "I visited a number of NGOs. I surprisingly found that most of them were pretty well-financed. I think that''s because people are becoming more conscious about supporting causes."
For this year''s Harmony show, which will be inaugurated today, Aseema''s theme is child rights and, apart from posters, a 26-minute film on child rights will also be shown.
Works of 125 renowned artists like Akbar Padamsee, Anjolie Ela Menon, Jehangir Sabavala, Satish Gujral and, younger though reputed, names like Chintan Upadhyay, Paresh Maity and Karl Antao will be on display.
Will there be anything different in this year''s show? "I''m not going to change the format," says Tina, "simply because it''s been a successful format and has given a platform to a large number of artists."
As Tina''s visit comes to an end, some of the school''s toddlers give her roses and she knows that the real stars of the Harmony show will be these children.