Veteran Journalist’s Paintings for a ‘Positive’ Cause

By Sana Ahmed

The year 2020 brought unprecedented times for all of us, while we have been grappling with a lot of issues and trying to find ways to deal with it, there are some who have left no stone unturned in making this lockdown worthwhile. The power of art in rallying awareness for various causes and raising funds for the same cannot be denied.

Elora Sen, a veteran journalist, a single woman, a cancer survivor based in Kolkata decided to explore her artistic side. In order to address her all- pervasive anxiety, she decided to paint and after months she discovered the artist in her. Speaking to News Sense Elora says, “I started coloring this lockdown and really enjoyed the process and later switched to painting. Everyday after my work got over at 2 am I would sit and paint for a hour or so, with time this became a passion.”

Elora Sen with News Sense Social Correspondent Sana Ahmed

Elora, Senior Sports Journalist with a leading Calcutta Daily, has no formal training of painting, decided to have an exhibition when few of her friends were in awe of the amateur painter’s work. The painting exhibition was inaugurated by the renowned painter Samir Aich on the 20th of January and will go on till the 30th of January at Café Positive.

Samir Aich inaugurating the Exhibition

Café Positive is a very special café as it is Asia’s first ever café that is run by the Young Adults living with HIV.  This one-of-a-kind café aims at providing awareness and to end the stigmas associated with HIV. It is an attempt to make people living with HIV be included and accepted in most of the professions.

So far, almost fifty percent of the paintings have been sold. Each of which has been priced around Rs 2000 each. The large part of proceedings raised through this exhibition will be donated to OFFER- the NGO behind this café.

This has been a very gratifying experience for Elora Sen, as she wants to continue with this hobby of hers so that she can keep contributing towards various social causes. Let’s continue chasing dreams and discovering new avenues. It’s only when we think out of the box that we can bring in a little difference that inspires people around us to be kind and to do something meaningful.

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