24 March,2013 10:15 AM IST | | Tunali Mukherjee
Feeling charitable this weekend? You might as well end up owning a beautiful piece of art by one of the 54 talented artists, including Brinda Miller, Ajay De, Seema Kohli, Manu Parekh, Sunil Padwal, Shijo Jacob, Saju Kunhan, etc, who have come together in a charity auction to support the Rotary Club's Hospital on Wheels project.
A painting by artist C Bhagyanath
Organised by the Rotary Club of Shivaji Park, the proceeds from this auction will be used towards building a convoy of vehicles with diagnostic equipment, operating tools and qualified doctors and medical staff, something that many rural areas in Maharashtra are in urgent need of. The convoy will travel to all primary health care centres in rural areas and convert them to functional hospitals for three to six days. The project is aimed at covering all of Maharashtra, starting with places like Wada and Jawhar and moving further on.
"It's sad to see how the villagers suffer due to the lack of a proper medical facility," says Niyatee Shinde, who has curated this auction. "I once saw a pregnant woman who urgently needed a C-section being turned away due to lack of medical facilities. It was heartbreaking," she says. "When I spread the word about this auction, I was pleasantly surprised with the overwhelming response I received from the artists, some of whom have personally seen the plight of these villagers. We have priced the artworks from a range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 6 lakh so anyone who wants to help can join in," she says.
Satish Hattangadi, President of the Rotary Club of Shivaji Park, is optimistic the auction. "Come and honour the artists. They deserve an applause for their philanthropy," he says.
