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“Authenticity” Exhibition Highlights Inclusive Art
At the ICCR on June 2nd, it was a touching sight to see a group of children with differing abilities and disabilities from the organization Shishur Sevay, in their wheelchairs, but with empowerment writ large on their happy faces. The occasion—the inauguration of an exhibition of art titled “Authenticity” where Puja Kumari, one of the earliest “daughters” of Shishur Sevay was exhibiting a number of her paintings, many of them scenes from everyday life, along with seasoned artists Rumki Mohapatra, from Calcutta and Patricia Stark, from the US, both in support of Shishur Sevay. The next day saw a demonstration of cloth paintings by specially-abled girls, followed by a grand display on the last day.
Shishur Sevay is a model of inclusive non-institutional care for lost and abandoned children, some with severe disabilities, all of whom have been rejected for adoption. Their mission is to protect orphans and abandoned children, including those having differing abilities and disabilities, by providing a safe environment where they will be sheltered, nurtured, and educated in ways that build Competence, Confidence, Independence and Leadership.
The founder of this organization, whom WOT met, is an American physician, author and former corporate executive from Johnson & Johnson—Dr. Michelle Harrison. She started it to serve as a home with innovative programs and advanced technology for severely impaired girls. This was a “coming out” program for Shishur Sevay, where the work has carried on quietly, but effectively. Dr Harrison, who began her 35 year medical career in rural South Carolina as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty, has taught at Harvard, and Rutgers, among other universities, but has now made India her home and in turn helmed this home to empower the most vulnerable.
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