Udaan: Ek Meetha Sapna, founded in 2012, has helped 3,000 kids get an art education.
Udaan: Ek Meetha Sapna, an NGO dedicated to art education, has announced its first batch of students that will appear for its certification test. Founded in 2012 by Shikha Agarwal, a resident of Gurgaon, this organisation has imparted art education to almost 3,000 underprivileged children. After the NGO was registered in September 2012, the founder and her colleagues formulated a comprehensive art syllabus.
Special evening classes are held for children who demonstrate a natural aptitude for art. Coaching is also imparted to those who want to take up careers in art and painting.
This initiative, which started with one school, has now spread to nine schools and one orphanage. Saksham, the school where it was first implemented, had received assistance from Tata Consultancy Services by way of colours and canvases.
Udaan: Ek Meetha Sapna also organises exhibitions of the artwork created by its students. “We encourage theme-centric exhibitions, for instance, those on environmental issues such as pollution,” said Reena Singal, another founder member.
The children are also encouraged to express their creative ideas on walls.
“We enjoyed painting the wall in the library. We lent a colourful ambience to an otherwise dull space,” said Aman Kumar, a 16-year-old student with a passion for arts.
Knowledge of the technical aspects of art is also imparted. In the words of Preeti Yadav, a student, “I used to draw but had no knowledge of the technical aspects of painting, which I learnt here.”
Speaking to City Spidey, Reetu Sirohi and Sarika Panda Bhatt from Udaan: Ek Meetha Sapna, echoed the same sentiment. According to them, the three students who are pursuing the professional course are going to be role models for the rest of the students and encourage many others to take up art as a hobby or a career.
