When Varsha Trivedi taught her students the intricacies of Australian aboriginal art, little did she, or her fascinated pupils, know that their work would end up as designs for a leading apparel brand, and be retailed to the fashion conscious across the country. But for four students of the child welfare NGO Aseema, it has certainly been a great culmination to a journey that began within the art class.
Rajesh Jadiyar, Reshma Bahamaniya, Roshni Jadhav and Rubina Khan’s aquatic themed art pieces caught leading designer Anita Dongre’s eye, and now feature in a collection for Global Desi, the apparel brand of which Anita is the creative director. Anita, who showcases art by Aseema’s underprivileged wards at her wellness centre and has previously incorporated their art in her collections, was inspired by a calendar the children had put together for her. “As I was flipping through their aquatic themed artwork, I wondered, why not make a collection around this?” says Anita. “Unfortunately, there was very little time, so we only came out with a capsule collection.”
For the children, it was an exciting experience indeed to have their art thus showcased, says Aseema, chairperson and trustee Dilbur Parakh. Dilbur says that the four students have been with Aseema since its inception 12 years ago. “They came to us as three-four year olds,” she recounts. “But now, Rubina and Roshni are both in Class 12, Reshma is appearing for her Class 11 exams and Rajesh, who is 17, is planning on taking up a motor mechanics course.”