Thursday, January 5, 2012

Calendars for a Cause


Bereft as I am in many other ways, I have fortunately never missed the company of the creatively inclined. They have a spark in them that could make them agents of change, they are thinkers who could possibly innovate something of marvelous value. I recognize that potential: these people are both valuable and priceless. They inspire my shying creative side to break a shell and speak a little louder. They’re interesting creatures who toil in company of constant criticism, a little bit of encouragement and mostly, a sense of passion and purpose.


Kiran Ravikumar, Aditi Dinaker and Ashwin Dange are little more than photographers. I heard about ‘Calendars for a Cause’ when it was just an idea in its initial stages. The thought was to design a calendar for 2012 and sell it. Nothing extraordinary in that, except for the fact that all the money collected by selling calendars goes to charity. I found it selfless and beautiful, how talent can be transformed into something that can give back to the society.

The money collected is channelized for the financial needs of the poor. It not only goes to a school in Ramabai Nagar, Mysore, where 300 kids from underprivileged families study but also to towards building a library in KS Garden Slum for underprovided kids. These are highly inspired twenty- somethings trying to make a change, and they only ask for a little help.   

The photographers have worked really hard to make this calendar happen. The pictures chosen are captivating. They’ll surely light up your room or your work space.  It is indeed remarkable to see these people come up with such a splendid calendar in a matter of less than a month.

It takes much dedication and commitment to make something of this proportion manifest itself in such a short period of time. And I personally think they've worked very hard, and all for a good cause, in true spirit of selflessness and intelligent thought.

“I tried encouraging people to buy a calendar,” a photographer friend said, “Nobody came forward. I guess people just appreciate art, when we talk financially, they don’t value it that much.”

Well, we should change that, shouldn’t we?

Participate in the change. It takes a simple act of buying a calendar.

So this new year, choose to be kind. Buy a calendar and pass the word.

To learn more about the cause:  http://www.calendarsforacause.in/about-this-cause/