She wanted to help villages in the Sunderbans by raising funds. She went on to do something much deeper.
During a recent visit to Godkhali village, Kashvi Tikmani of Class XI used art to make the local school a brighter place and now has a mission to paint in many more villages.
When Kashvi took off to Godkhali in the last week of March, her agenda was simple. She had been raising funds, through crowd-sourcing for five villages. She wanted to hand over the money, meant for the empowerment of women and children, to the local officials and plant saplings for a healthier environment.
"Since this year, I had been collecting money from my friends, relatives and peer group. I had read how the pandemic and natural disasters had rendered villages in the Sunderbans in a shambles. Education was badly affected there. So, I tried to do my bit with the help of an NGO," said the student of La Martiniere for Girls, who is also a budding painter.
Kashvi had earmarked five nearby villages for the charity.
"I was determined to interact with the children and students at Godkhali and not just hand over the money. As I went round the village, I came upon the primary school building that looked so dilapidated," said Kashvi of her day-long visit.
She immediately decided to spruce up the building with some colour. "I was carrying my paints and brushes and set down to work. I used bright colours as I painted the walls. I also decided to write topical messages — on saving the tiger and natural resources — to spread awareness," she said.
Soon local children joined her. A new friendship bloomed as the youngsters began painting the school walls together.
"I taught them how to brighten up the walls of their school and other places. Some kids also gave their hand impression on the walls, making them come alive. As we worked, we chatted. I also interacted with some college students of the village to get an idea about their lives."
The day turned out to be so fulfilling for her, that Kashvi plans to make many more visits to this village and its neighbourhood. "I plan to get my friends here and paint many more walls. I will take help from the local kids, who have promised to help me. A dash of colour brightens up a place. We plan to paint many more walls and public places here in future," said the girl, who now has a new perspective and many new friends.
"We encourage all our students to get out of their comfort zone and do their bit for society. They develop empathy and learn new things in the process. Of course, parental support needs to be there for the children to work for their cause and bring in change, however small," said La Martiniere for Girls principal Rupkatha Sarkar.