Art can heal
Aarti Buxani is a name that has been gaining a lot of traction in the world of art. She has exhibited her paintings across London, Dubai and Japan. Known today for the detailing she puts in every art piece that she undertakes, she started painting as a mere hobby. “I was always passionate about creating art, but as a child growing up in India, my sketching was labelled as a hobby,” says Buxani.
Art was not given much importance when she was growing up. But after completing her education and getting married, she travelled to London, a place where she realised that the passion for art had never really dimmed. “I started studying art in London and did a course in painting after which I started exhibiting my paintings,” says Buxani.
She points out that there were times when she would paint and her family and friends would really appreciate it. “Initially I used to give my canvases as gifts and tokens, but noticing their value, people soon started refusing to take anything from me until they paid for it. This appreciation built my confidence,” adds Buxani.
She recalls the time when her painting was auctioned at the Great Ormond Hospital and the proceeds went towards raising funds for the cure of a child suffering from neuroblastoma cancer.
“The painting was sold for £18000. It was the best thing that could have happened to me, not because there was a monetary gain but because something that I had created was going to help someone I did not even know, and that really hit me hard,” says Buxani. She points out that post the exhibition, she stayed in touch with the little girl for over three to four months.
The art that Buxani creates has a spiritual touch to it. She paints Buddha, Lord Shiva, verses from the Bhagwad Gita and the bestselling Shree Yantra. She explains that the Shree Yantra helps fulfill material and spiritual desires. “It benefits all and has the power to drive away all negative forces that may act as obstacles in gaining prosperity and growth,” she says.
She finds art spiritual because it is a way in which one gains full focus and attains control over one’s self.
Helping children learn
Dimple Somji, a Pune-based entrepreneur, believes that charity is a lifestyle. “As an individual observing how the world functions, I have grown to believe that if you are blessed, you need to bless someone else’s life and spread happiness and love all around,” says Somji.
The businesswoman was always been keen on doing voluntary service, spreading compassion and making a difference in the lives of other people, which led to the creation of With Love Charitable Foundation. Somji is the founder and a key trustee of it.
An educationist, Somji has had the chance to work in preschools and schools. She says that she realised that she wanted to influence and guide more and more youth in achieving skill sets for life so that they too can come forward to help others in a very responsible way. “Of late, many institutions have made it compulsory for students to volunteer with NGOs and even though many of them join with the sole purpose of getting a certificate, we have seen them change and grow over a period of time. Many of these youngsters have even decided to get into social work full time. People believing in a cause is something I aspire to see,” adds Somji.
The entrepreneur has worked with children for a very long time. And even though it is challenging, Somji points out that she has realised that the tiny tots are quite aware. “With the lifestyles that we all have, today’s children are way more spoilt than what we were in our childhood, but if you spend time with them, you will notice that they do show signs of gratitude, and with a little bit of understanding and helping them show this feeling, we can polish them to be better citizens and help others in society,” Somji adds.
She is of the opinion that if children learn to love and share things that they have with others, the planet will become a much better place to live in. “The sense of responsibility of helping people needs to get into the children. With Love Foundation has partnered with several preschools to instill this quality in them. It is really amazing to watch them learn and practise it in small ways,” she adds.
Somji, who is passionate about modelling, has also established herself as a lifestyle blogger and social influencer and has also hosted events.
With love to the world
When you have a will, god makes the way for you and that’s something we all at With Love Charitable Foundation believe in,” says Neelima Ladkat, a key trustee of the Foundation. She explains that With Love is run by a group of powerful women in Pune who are committed to teaching upcoming generations that kindness is cool, and to spread love and affection through humanitarian causes.
“To get like-minded people to work towards the same cause is never easy but With Love has been truly blessed,” says Ladkat. She believes that the reason behind this is that the cause of helping people and spreading love is so noble, that many people want to be a part of it and do their bit with immense responsibility.
Running an NGO is tough but Ladkat points out that good work always carves its own path to reach people. “And if you set out to do good in the world, it is going to find its way back to you,” she says.
Talking about the organisation, she points out that they want to be the change they wish to see in this world. “We undertake various small and large scale projects in the city and country to help people learn and understand the importance of helping and being kind,” she adds.
She points out that she along with key trustee Dimple Somji, Neha Pawar and their team believe - “Where there is a need, there will be — With Love.” In a short span of time, they have carried out various activities and projects like Drishti, Stop Beggary, Joybags, medical camps, collection drives, Books for Change and Kids with Capes to name a few. “We wish to bring about a permanent change in the people we meet in this journey and hope that every touched life, comes back to join us in the mission of With Love,” she says.
During the journey of just three years, they have managed to join hands with 7 to 8 different other NGO across the city. They work together to accomplish the goal of kindness and spread love.
