ASPIRE India and Tata Steel Foundation have been working together on improving access and quality of education in the rural districts of Odisha and Jharkhand for over eight years. So when the Embassy of Finland approached us with an invitation for young artists from rural schools of these states to showcase their work as part of their Independence day celebrations in Delhi, we got excited about the possibilities that open up for the children we work with.

We immediately got to work. Painting and drawing competitions and exhibitions were held across the blocks in Keonjhar, Jajpur, Sundargarh and West Singhbhum districts. It was difficult to choose. There were hundreds of young artists with immense talent and hard work. But we had to.

On the 1st of December 2021, with the help of AirAsia India airlines, thirty selected young artists boarded their first flight to Delhi. They were given a warm welcome here in the capital by the Embassy of Finland. They got to know about the country, the embassy and its work in our country. They met their counterparts from Finland via video conferencing and shared art and stories. During their stay here, our young artists also roamed around the city visiting monuments and museums. They left their mark on the walls of Harcourt Butler Senior Secondary School in the form of a Mural as well.

The painting exhibition was held in the embassy premises on 3rd December. Among the dignitaries present were Finland’s Ambassador to India Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Senior Specialist in Political and Economic Affairs Mika Tirronen, Tata Steel Corporate Services Vice President Chanakya Chaudhary and ASPIRE India Executive Director Daya Ram.

You can access a digital reproduction artworks from the exhibition here.