What does it take...

I had initially posted this on my personal blog. Re-posting it here since it might strike a chord with artists here at LMM who might be doing similar work.

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What does it take to cheer someone up? And what if the person you are trying to cheer up was terminally ill? What would one say, would could one possibly do to wipe those tears and replace it with a smile?

Well, I have first hand experience. On weekends, I volunteer at a ward for terminally ill cancer patients - people of different ages, income groups and backgrounds but all who are putting up a dignified, brave front against that monster silently destroying them from inside.

As an artist, I know for sure that art heals. But I was'nt expecting to see instant results and was quite stumped myself by this incident. A young patient was weeping inconsolably during one of my visits. After much gentle coaxing, she agreed to sit up. Then I handed her some colouring sheets and a sketch pen set that I'd bought for her. She began colouring with her head bent and tears still streaming down her cheeks. Within 10 minutes, she was totally engrossed in the colouring, choosing colours and asking for my suggestions. When she looked up she was smiling and then gradually as she progressed colouring the cartoon characters, she began to giggle and laugh. She even asked me if I had extra colouring sheets for her to do later!

Remarkable positive transformation in just minutes. All it took was 30 Rs. worth of sketch pens and heartfelt kindness.  

Thank God for Art. That's all I can say.