At the heart of South Delhi, in a quaint park, as the sun begins to set and the winter breeze gradually sets in, three young neurodivergent artists, aged 14 and 17, will settle down with their canvases and paints. Their students? More than 50 people who have signed up to learn abstract art from them.
For these young artists, the Diwali Art Mela is more than an opportunity to exhibit and sell their paintings. It is a chance to take on a different role — that of teachers and mentors — and have people recognise their abilities, creativity and leadership.
The idea is central to what Rashmi Aggarwal, founder of Arts and Dreams, hopes to achieve through the initiative. She wants people to look beyond the neurodivergence of these children and see them for their artistic abilities.
For Rashmi, the journey began at home. Her younger son, Pranav, who is now 14, started creating art when he was six. His paintings became a way for him to express his feelings and offer his family a glimpse into his world.
“We kept thinking about how to put artists in a place where people see their talent and not that they are neurodivergent. This can happen when they train others,” she says.
The first edition of the Diwali Art Mela is being organised by Arts and Dreams in collaboration with Children in India and Cure India Foundation. It will bring together art, creativity and inclusion. Visitors can explore paintings and artwork-based products such as calendars and wall hangings, participate in games and workshops, and interact with the artists. The event will also feature neurodivergent children making chocolates.
When a mother’s concern became a larger mission
For Rashmi, the journey began at home. Her younger son, Pranav, who is now 14, started creating art when he was six. His paintings became a way for him to express his feelings and offer his family a glimpse into his world.
“His paintings always gave us a view of his world. He was creating a world of his own through colours. As a mother, I wanted him to get recognised for his art,” she says.
But Rashmi soon began thinking about other neurodivergent children who had artistic talent but limited access to the art world. She wanted to build something that would benefit not just Pranav, but other young artists like him.
In 2024, Rashmi and her elder son, Lakshya Aggarwal, founded Arts and Dreams with this vision. What began as an effort to provide artists with a platform to exhibit and sell their paintings gradually expanded into creating art-based products that could help them earn from their work.
Today, the initiative has 55 artists on board. When a product featuring an artist’s work is sold, 20 per cent of the profit is shared with the artist as royalty. So far, 20 artists have received a cumulative Rs 4 lakh in royalties.
One moment that reinforced the initiative’s potential came when Arts and Dreams received a corporate order from a Japanese customer for 10,000 calendars.
For Rashmi, however, the impact goes beyond the money.
“They may not understand money as a concept, but they understand appreciation. They are on top of the world when they know someone liked their work and is taking it home,” she says.
One moment that reinforced the initiative’s potential came when Arts and Dreams received a corporate order from a Japanese customer for 10,000 calendars. Featuring 13 artworks alongside photographs of the artists, the calendars travelled to people who may not otherwise have encountered their work or known about neurodivergent artists.
“The story of the kids is travelling with the art,” Rashmi says.
The artists taking the lead
At the Diwali Art Mela, Pranav will be among the three young artists conducting workshops for visitors.
For Pranav, the workshop will focus on abstract bloom painting, using colours such as pink, green and yellow. He enjoys painting and hopes to explore feather painting next.
When asked how he feels when someone buys his artwork, his answer is simple: “Achha lagta hai (it feels nice). I will proudly tell my friends about it too.”
That sense of appreciation is precisely what Rashmi hopes more people will experience — both as buyers of the artwork and as participants in the workshops.
Aishwarya hopes to teach people how to paint nature on canvas.
Aishwarya, who is 17 years old, will also sit alongside Pranav to teach participants. This time, she hopes to teach people how to paint nature on canvas. “For this mela, I plan to use acrylic paints with red, blue, and yellow as the main colors.”
We asked her what Diwali means to her, and she says with joy, “It’s a festival I love. Everything about Diwali – the pretty lights, new clothes, crackers, sweets – makes me happy.”
She proudly shares that around 500 of her artworks have been sold so far, and she is always motivated to continue painting.
The third mentor is Aarush, a 14-year-old, bold and confident boy. Aarush has been painting since he was three.
Drawn to nature and wildlife, he often finds inspiration in what he observes around him. At the mela, he will be teaching participants how to draw and paint a boat using blue and white acrylic paints.
“I was inspired by this sight in Nainital,” he shares.
He works with watercolours and structural painting, and his artwork has always received a good response at exhibitions. His mother says Aarush enjoys drawing so much that, if he takes a liking to someone, he may even take their hand and begin sketching on it.
Making art a continued possibility
While the Diwali Art Mela offers visitors an opportunity to meet the artists and experience their work, Rashmi hopes the support will continue long after the event.
People can purchase original paintings and art-based products, while companies can explore corporate gifting partnerships, commission artwork or organise paid workshops with the artists. The initiative also encourages people to ‘adopt an artist’ by regularly purchasing a number of their artworks.
For Rashmi, the larger goal is to ensure that artistic talent translates into sustained opportunities rather than one-time recognition.
“Each artist has their own personality. They are unique. People should know and believe that each is different and that their work deserves to be seen just like that of other artists,” she says.
This Diwali, as the young artists guide visitors through colours, patterns and abstract forms, they will be doing more than sharing an artistic skill. They will be showing what inclusion can look like when neurodivergent individuals are allowed not just to participate, but to lead.
The mela will be held at Gulmohar Park, South Delhi on 31 October and 1 November from 3 pm to 7 pm.
