On the bright, sunny afternoon of February 8 2020, MOHAN Foundation organised a Rangoli Festival in association with Chennai Metro Rail Limited to promote the cause of organ donation. The venue was the Shenoy Nagar Metro Station, Chennai. This is the second such festival organised at the Metro in Chennai.
The theme of the Rangoli competition was organ donation and it was named அழியாத கோலங்கள் (Unerasable 'Kolams'/Rangoli) with reference to how donated organs can continue living even after the donor’s demise.
46 teams, comprising both adults and students participated. The students came from MMM College of Nursing, Adarsh Group of Schools, ACS Medical College, Sri Kanyaka Parameshwari College for Women, VIT - Chennai campus, Shri Darshini Kalai Koodam and Government Schools Chennai. The adults’ category had both women and men competing, including members of Kolam groups of the city. Rangolis were created using traditional powders, flowers and other material by the participants who were in teams of two.
The designs were judged on their relevance to the theme, colour balance and presentation of the teams. Judges were Dr. Alamelu, Department of Fine Arts of Stella Maris College for Women; Dr. K. Usha, Department of Public Administration of Anna Adarsh College for Women; Mr. Simon Raj, Department of Medical Sociology of MMM College of Health Sciences and Mr. Suresh Kumar J, Senior Designer of MOHAN Foundation. The chief guest for the occasion was Mrs. Lingaselvi, a double hand recipient from Chennai.
Colorful, vibrant, innovative and beautiful Rangolis adorned the floor space of the station, mightily expressing messages that can save lives. Importance of blood donation, eye donation and organ donation were aesthetically and powerfully conveyed. A highly creative team depicted a real time situation to communicate the importance of green corridor.
Six designs from the students’ category were awarded. Three designs created by students from MMM College of Nursing, and Padma Adarsh School were awarded the first place, followed by students of ACS Medical college - Faculty of Nursing, Sri Kanyaka Parameshwari College for Women and VIT Chennai campus who came second. In the adults’ category prizes were given away to 5 teams. The winners were Ms. Niroja and Ms. Kasilakshmi; Ms. Prajeetha and Mr. Hemanth Prassanna; Ms. Jayanthi Sridhar, Ms. Ilaveni and Ms. Indira and Ms. Raghavi. Prizes were given away by Mrs. Lingaselvi, Dr. Sunil Shroff and Dr. Navin Jayakumar.
A few participants shared their feedback followed by comments from the judges during the valedictory. Mrs. Lingaselvi spoke about her journey – the surgery and recovery, and the way her life has changed positively after receiving the hand transplant. She also shared the experience of meeting the family of her donor in a felicitation ceremony in Kochi and being blown away by their large heartedness. Mrs. Lingaselvi was honoured by Mr. Pravin Bihani, of Alstrut India Private Limited. Staff of MOHAN Foundation honored the judges.
‘Life Before Ashes’ - an art installation was exhibited at the venue and was viewed by a huge number of visitors. MOHAN Foundation is grateful to CMRL for their continued support by providing the venue for the event. MOHAN Foundation is thankful to all the participants who came with their material and spent time to promote a cause using a powerful and aesthetic medium. MOHAN Foundation is also thankful to the event sponsors - Tata Trusts, Elektronika, Roaring Riders, Oriflame, Anna Nagar Super Market, McRennett Bakery and Naturals Salon and the media who covered the event. To sum up, it was an afternoon well spent among artists who designed for a cause, creating a platform to spread the message of organ donation.
Click here to watch the video on the story of Hand Transplant recipient Mrs. Lingaselvi.
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