Permanent home for Akanksha art

Art by streetchildren will now be available all year round at the NGO's Worli store

The black-white butterfly with magenta-rimmed wings that once stood on a wall at the Akanksha Foundation office at Chinchpokli, just flew into a shop-cum-apartment at Worli. Twelve year-old Sandip Pandey's painting is yours to pick up from the NGO's just-launched art shop.
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The Foundation works with underprivileged children, striving to empower them through education and learned skills. What began as Art for Akanksha, an initiative to encourage Akanksha's children to express themselves creatively, has grown into a movement, with an annual exhibition that attracts scores of fans and brings in much-needed funds.

"The exhibitions were a huge fund generator but the dream was to make it big enough to help run a full-fledged school," says Ruchika Gupta, Director Art for Akanksha. It was the venue that threw up a challenge for more than eight years.

Working with the idea of a bus-shop that roamed Mumbai's streets to a trunk that opened up as a stall, they tested it all. But Mumbai's real estate prices played party pooper. Until a team member volunteered to offer her apartment as venue.

Pandey has spent most of his Diwali vacation to help set up the shop that stocks hand-painted pen stands, curtains, canvas shoes and home accessories. For the kids, today is the day of the big bash, when their art opens up top the world.

Running through a list of products, we realised, that a chandelier made using decoupage is the showstopper, and carries the highest price tag. Most products are priced between Rs 30 to Rs 3,000.

And it's not just take-home products but services that the kids offer too. They can help you organise an art workshop for your kiddie's birthday party, or play interior designer and help redesign a room in your home, working with a theme of your choice.
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AT: The Akanksha shop opens today at 8-B Poonam Apartments, Shiv Sagar Estate, Dr AB Road. From 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.
Call: 23700253