Canvas of hope
RANA SIDDIQUI
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They paint with the language of love
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DEPICTING THE COLOURS OF LIFE: A painting in progress
Ghar se masjid hai badi door chalo ye kar lein, kisi rote hue bachche ko hansaya jaye (The place of worship is far away, let's make a crying child smile). This couplet by Basheer Badr has inspired another budding poet, theatre person and a painter, Aseem Usman. This versatile Delhi-based philanthropist, a teacher of art in a school, an associate of filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, is greatly influenced by the Sufism that Ali propagates. Hence he decided to teach painting to the children of Happy Home, New Delhi. This house for children from the victimised families of the Gujarat genocide is run by the Zakat Foundation of India.
The children of Happy Home, aged between four and fourteen, study in a school nearby. Inspired by the Sufi concept, they have recently come out with paintings, drawings and sketches depicting love for humanity and God.
Javed Qadir, a student of Std. VI, painted a picture of the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities as branches of a single tree. Salman Khan draws musical instruments to show "fusion of spirituality". And Najma Khatoon, of Std. IV, paints clowns also as sufis to convey that they understand the language of love. Thus each painting tells a story. Usmani has titled these paintings and drawings with couplets from Sufi poet Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and others.
Usmani hopes to put up an exhibition of these works of art to spread the message of love and care.
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