Arti Kirloskar and Sulajja Firodia Motwani tell Tania Roy more about the forthcoming Charity Art Auction which Plan India is organising to help raise funds for the cause of the girl child

Plan India is coming up with a Charity Auction for Girls’ Fund at JW Marriott, Senapati Bapat Road, on February 7. The event aims at engaging eminent personalities and philanthropists to extend support towards the cause of the girl child and raise funds for her education, healthcare, vocational training and realisation of child rights. Arti Kirloskar, Secretary, Plan India Board, shares a few thoughts on the event. Excerpts:

You have been on Plan India board since 2007. What have been the major successes and what are your immediate challenges?

Plan India has been working in Pune district for nearly two decades with a focus on child-centered community development. Pune being one of the most industrialised and urbanised districts in the state has significant health and HIV challenges within urban poor families.

What are the projects that Plan India has initiated in Pune and which NGOs does it work in partnership with?
Plan India is working with two partners — Community Aid Sponsorship Programme (CASP) and Family Planning Association of India, to provide care, support and protection of HIV infected and affected children and women, and providing mass awareness on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition and water, and sanitation and hygiene.

In which 11 states does Plan India operate?
Plan India operates in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
How many paintings will be auctioned at the Charity Auction?
Fifty two works of art, including paintings, sculptures, traditional art and two carpets, will be auctioned.

There will be traditional art like Talpatachitra from Orissa, Terracotta and Phad panels from Rajasthan, etc. Are you including these artworks to make the auction more diverse?
Yes, it definitely adds variety and dimension to the collection. Also, it is a way of appreciating our Indian culture and ethnic arts.

Would you like to elaborate on the two limited editions of the painted carpets by Jehangir Sabavala and Senaka Senanayake?
They are beautiful New Zealand 5x7ft painted wool carpets by Sabavala and Senaka with requisite permissions from the artists. They look gorgeous and can be acquired at a fraction of the cost of a painting of the same size by these very renowned artists.

Can you mention Plan India’s other major fund-raising activities in the city?
We had organised an art and luxury auction in 2012, which got a very good response. We are hoping Pune will come forward in a bigger way to support the cause this time too.

Working for children
Plan India works to improve the lives of disadvantaged children, their families and communities by putting children at the centre of community development. For more than 30 years, the NGO and its partners have been relentlessly working with communities to break the cycle of poverty by helping children access their rights to protection, basic education, healthcare, healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives.

‘The auction will be a win-win’
“To see a better India, we must educate and improve the quality of life of children. We cannot have unskilled labour and expect our country to progress. We have to invest in creating the future,” avers Sulajja Firodia Motwani, patron, Plan India. Since the past one year, Sulajja, along with eight other global brand ambassadors, including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi, actress Shabana Azmi and others, has been working for Plan India’s Girl Child campaign. “Plan India works for underprivileged children with a special focus on the girl child. Working with a large organisation like Plan India helps because it has a wide network and the efforts are channelised in the right direction,” says Sulajja.

Raising awareness, advocating and promoting girls’ rights, and providing good healthcare and education and vocational training have been Plan India’s priorities. But to live safe and secure is also an important human right. So is Plan India trying to focus on girls’ safety keeping in mind the recent spate of violence against women? Says Sulajja, “Safety can be a cornerstone for Plan India’s future initiatives. That said, we have to trace the root cause of the increasing incidence of crime against women. Helping educate children, improving infrastructure, raising awareness about girls’ rights and so on will help build better communities,” explains she.

Giving us a peek into the Charity Auction, she says, “The auction will be a win-win for everyone. It will have works of upcoming and eminent artists like MF Husain, Sakti Burman, FN Souza, Satish Gujral, Paresh Maity, Seema Kohli and others. There will be sculptures by Laxma Goud, Gogi Saroj Pal, Arzan Khambatta, Venkat Bothsa and Uma Singh. The artists are offering concessions because it’s for a cause. So at the end of the day, buyers will take home a good piece of art at a good price and for a good cause.”