Nishant Shah, a CA in the making and a self-trained artist, soon joined the initiative. “Though we never gave the artists any specifications on what they should draw, I filtered the pieces and selected the best for the exhibition,” says Nishant. “We didn’t want people to buy the paintings out of sympathy but for the art and we wanted them to get the right price,” adds Kavita.

AFBB, which runs under the umbrella of the VED (Values Education and Development) Foundation, provided the artists with just basics like charcoal and paper. The results were impressive. Nishant says, “The paintings are influenced by the past, present and future expectations of the artists and they clearly show that.”

They observed that paintings by Rahul More of Yerwada Central Jail were neater than those by Parker, as the facilities at Yerwada were better than those at the Arthur Road Jail. A series of seven illustrations by Lalita Gonugunta of Nagpur Jail depicts a pessimistic picture of a woman’s life and the conflicting nature of her ethos, harshly carved through time and circumstances in a corrupt world.

The proceeds from the sale of the paintings are being deposited into the personal accounts of the artists. Apart from the money, the appreciation that the artists received at the exhibition has played a vital role in motivating them.

Kavita says, “Now every time I meet them they are excited and keen to give me more paintings. One of them also wants to do an art course once he is released.”

... contd.