A group of children fighting cancer have been painting diyas, nearly all of which were sold in the run-up to Diwali.
The children, undergoing treatment for leukaemia or tumors at a cancer hospital in Thakurpukur, are required to stay in the facility, sometimes for months.
The idea was to engage them in something that would keep them distracted from the daily routine of medicines and injections and give them something to look forward to in the festive season, said a hospital official.
The children, mostly in the age group of 10 to 14 years, have designed and painted the diyas. They were helped by their mothers who stay with them in the hospital.
“Our objective is to keep them happy while they are undergoing treatment. If they are happy, they can be more accepting of treatment,” said Arnab Gupta, director, Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute.
Gupta said that they cannot allow the children to step out of the campus but try to organise activities in the run-up to each festival.
The children, with their mothers, painted about 1,000 diyas and some clay plates to keep them on. Each set costs Rs 175. The proceeds have been given to the children as pocket money.
Some of the children have to stay in the hospital for seven to eight months. Being confined to the campus or the cycle of treatment can be depressing for them, said a therapist at the hospital.
Some of them are initially not keen to engage in any project because they are overburdened with the disease, said the therapist.
“It is important to cater to the mental health of the children. We try to do that through different projects,” said Papri Saha, art and music therapist.
There are children who refuse to participate in activities and say they do not know how to paint, she said.
“We do not force them. But we sit in front of them and do it. When they see other children paint, they are equally keen to take up the brush,” said Saha.
A girl who came to the hospital after clearing Madhyamik refused to paint diyas. But when she saw others do it, she would ask Saha for paints and a brush.
Saha said the bright colours help lift their mood, too.
“The point is not to be good at painting but to do something that would lift their mood and make them feel better,” she said.
CULTURE FEST
A traditional Manipuri dance performance at City Centre in Salt Lake on Sunday. The performance was part of a curtain raiser for the upcoming Sangai Festival, which showcases Manipuri culture through music, cuisine, art and indigenous games. The festival will be held from November 21 to 30 in various places in Manipur, including the capital, Imphal. The tourism department of Manipur organised the curtain raiser in Kolkata. “The festival offers visitors an insight into the wealth of our culture. This is the 11th edition…. It is happening after a gap of two years because of Covid,” said Jit Ningomba, media coordinator for the festival.
Picture by Gautam Bose
The Telegraph