M F Husain donates painting to fight against illiteracy in India

London, Dec 1 (UNI) Aiming to eradicate primary illiteracy in India, painter M F Husain has donated his painting titled ''Woman playing Veena'' which will be auctioned at Christie's, Rockefeller Centre, New York in March 2007 to raise funds for the charity Pratham.

The particular painting was presented to Mrs Usha Mittal, (wife of Lakshmi Mittal of Mittal Steel, who is a board member of Pratham in India and UK) to raise funds for Pratham's programmes in India.

Sangeeta Chawla Joshi, founding trustee and President of Pratham UK said, ''Mrs Mittal, a keen collector of art and antiques advised and assisted Pratham in the organisation of our successful auction of Indian art at Christie's in May this year, which raised a net 140,000 pounds, though her philanthropic activities range across various causes from health to education, her association with Pratham is special.'' Mrs Mittal said ''I believe that Mr Husain's 'Woman playing Veena' will fetch the utmost value in New York, where Indian art is appreciated and in demand not only by a successful Indian community but increasingly by the international market for Indian art. The proceeds will go towards educating more primary children in India, who otherwise, may not receive education.'' Over the last year, Pratham UK has held interesting events including the Pratham Indian Art Auction at Christie's, the London 10K Run and concerts featuring the life and work of Gulzar. These events have helped Pratham UK reach out to a diverse set of donors and patrons in addition to the reach of its Charity Balls in the past years.

Mr Narayan Vaghul, Chairman, ICICI Bank and the driving force behind Pratham and its strong corporate support said ''The donation of painting by Mr Husain for Pratham's worthy cause is truly the fitting finale for this year and I am grateful to Mr Husain for his generosity.'' UNI XC SBA BST0124