Bangalore: The titles of these work of art tell it all. "All Things bright and beautiful", "Sweetness of Unity", "The Fullmoon" and "Bright Winter Morning". If it sounds too much like paintings displayed at every other exhibition of art, the artists behind them are very different.

FAME India (Foundation for Action, Motivation and Empowerment), an organisation that has been working to make life better for the physically challenged, held this exhibition recently at the Leela Galleria. It was attended by several celebrities such as athelete Ashwini Nachappa and Arjuna Award winners Pankaj Advani and Shikha Tandon. It was the second exhibition in four months for these young differently abled artists. The artists were helped along by professional artist Raghava K.K, who exposed them to the technique of working with oils and acrylic colours using their hands instead of paintbrushes.

Pankaj, a 16-year old with muscular dystrophy and one of the most active among the young painters, was overjoyed at the response. "This is only our second exhibition and we are excited. We are also happy that so many people attended and appreciated our paintings. Fellow artist Pavani remarked: "I did not know that I could paint but this time I also participated and really enjoyed it. Now, I am looking forward to my painting lessons at school so that I can learn and become an artist."

Witnessing the development of their abilities and their confidence, most visitors to the show could not believe that a few years ago these students were not even aware of how talented they really were. During the past five years, FAME India has exposed them to various art forms, ranging from mainstream popular art to the modern, abstract and eclectic. When their talents were recognised, the school hired art teachers to teach them the basics and they were encouraged to enter competitions, attend art exhibitions and join a correspondence course in art.

The founder of FAME India, N.S. Raghavan, a co-founder of Infosys, said: "The coming together of such a large and elite group for the event shows there is a growing sensitivity and support for the needs and abilities of differently abled children.''

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