Project Antarnad:

INTRODUCTION

‘Shwas’ - The national award winner Marathi movie that received international acclaim is known to everyone. In a nutshell, the movie narrates the story of a small boy, Parashuram and his grandfather Parule. The boy is suffering from retinal cancer and only an operation can save his life, but will rob him of his sight forever. That’s when the grandfather takes him on a whirlwind tour of the city filled with colour and entertainment. Unable to save the child from a lifetime’s darkness, the grandfather ensures he paints a full day of colour and fun for his grandson.

THE PROJECT

As an avid Marathi cinema viewer, Mr. Vinod Tawde enjoyed the movie ‘Shwas’. When he thought about the film his mind started thinking on the question posed by Parsha’s granddad. After pondering over it for a while he penned down an action plan.
‘Project Antarnad’ is the accomplished avatar of this vision. Mr. Vinod Tawade just wished he could animate the banal lives of every child admitted in the wards of Mumbai municipal hospitals. And he thought of the most innovative way to do this. He decided to paint the walls of the wards with such vibrancy that the children would think that they are a part of a fairy tale.
With major assistance from Shyana N. C., Secretary of BJP, Mumbai and in co-ordination with G. G. Waghmare and Deepak Kshirsagar of J. J. School of Arts, the plan was put into action. Teams of 4-7 students were formed to change the entire look of each of these wards. Before actually putting their brushes to the walls, these students and Shyna N. C. had a cheerful and constructive interaction with the children. The children came up with many fascinating ideas about how they wanted the walls to look. The teams of JJ students painstakingly portrayed these “childish” concepts with flashy and glittering colours and the dull walls came alive with a new found energy. A fish can be seen diving to the ocean bed and the other sprinting back to the surface. At the M. V. Desai hospital, a giraffe and an elephant greet the inmates with cheerful faces. Another picture shows a group of kids huddled together under a mushroom canopy.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Chhotu Parawe forgets all the pain of the saline being injected in his body and rather insists that his father catches the butterfly on the opposite wall.
The students of JJ who actually worked on these paintings feel very satisfied with the work they had done. Santosh Nayak, a student of JJ said, “This project showed us that even our art can be made socially useful and effective. Today when we see the happiness on the faces of the children in these wards, we feel very proud and contented about the entire trouble taken”.
This concept is not only new for the children but also an equally novel idea for the medical staff. Mandakini Sanap and Jayshri Pawar of the M. V. Desai Hospital said, “We haven’t ever seen anything of this kind in this hospital. The ward now looks fresh each day and that gives renewed energy to work more and better.’
Director of ‘Shwas’, Sandeep Sawant, was so thrilled with this idea that he cancelled his pre-arranged tour and decided to personally attend the inauguration ceremony on 4th May, 2005. Producer of ‘Shwas’, Arun Nalawade said, “While making this film we never thought that it might inspire someone for such a fantastic idea.”
Mr. Vinod Tawde himself said, “After watching the film ‘Shwas’, I kept thinking as to what could be my contribution to change the scenario. What could be my share towards easing the pains of the small kids admitted to hospitals? I am not a medical professional. So I can not cure whatever is disconcerting them. But there could be something which will soothe them. And that is how this idea was born. There is a saying, ‘Tell me- I forget, show me- I remember, involve me- I understand’. This saying prompted me to involve the students of JJ Scholl of Arts into this project. The colours and other painting material was contributed by Pidilite Industries while Rotary Club of Peer sponsored the logistics”.

THE END

It was only the vision of Mr. Vinod Tawade that ensured that the ordinary medical treatment is also complimented with some treatment for the mind. In the process he not only made the lives of the children colourful but also the lives of the hospital staff, the film makers and of course the college students. That’s exactly why it would be no exaggeration to call ‘Project Antarnad’, like ‘Shwas,’ a breath of fresh air.