By Khalida Sarwari
Sumedha Gupta has been painting since she was at least 12 years old, but it wasn’t until this past summer that the Saratoga High School senior had an idea to use her passion for art to raise money and awareness for something greater.
On Nov. 16, Sumedha held an exhibition at her house to showcase dozens of her pieces. By the end of the day, she’d sold 20 of them. The proceeds will be going to support underprivileged children at a small school in rural Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India where her father is from.
“All the money that I raised will be going to Isha Vidhya,” said Sumedha, 17. “They have a school where they teach children academics and meditation and dance and music. All the funds I raise from now on will be donated to that organization.”
It was Sumedha’s father who told her about Isha Vidhya, and when someone suggested to her that she could monetize her hobby for a cause, she jumped at the chance because she’d seen firsthand how much of a need there is for help in that region.
“I lived in India for four years and I saw there’s a lot of poverty,” she said, adding that while she was there, she encountered many girls her age who, due to their circumstances, were more interested in working than in their education.
“That really got to me, so whenever I fundraise for anything it’s always for children; it’s always about educating children,” Sumedha said.
Isha Vidhya has been working for the empowerment of economically disadvantaged rural children in villages across Tamil Nadu since 2006. According to the organization’s website, the majority of those students are first-generation school learners, almost 50 percent are girls, and more than half the students are supported through scholarships.
Sumedha has started her own initiative to help increase access to education throughout her father’s homeland. Through Art for Education, Sumedha hopes to sell and auction her body of work to fund educational initiatives there.
Aside from painting, Sumedha spends her time teaching younger children. She has been a teaching assistant for middle school students, taken care of special need kids and taught Algebra II to an autistic student.
Sumedha is continuing to raise funds for Isha Vidhya by producing art on commission as well as selling her artwork which can be viewed on her website at artforeducation.org.
Link: Saratoga student Sumedha Gupta sells paintings to raise money for children in India
