The children expressed joy in the best way they know

MUMBAI: It was a heartfelt gesture at the height of the football mania . A few art enthusiasts from the city had sketched posters to congratulate the World Cup-winning French team on their win and mailed it to the French president. Much to their surprise, Emmanuel Macron sent them a thank-you note recently.

The art works were the creation of teenagers from chawls in Lalbaug , who spend about an hour a week learning drawing and painting at the Gurukul School of Art nearby. While they learn art, the students also work on pieces themed on happenings around the world.

“Everyone was talking only about the World Cup for the entire month. So, we decided to theme our art work around it. Eight students from classes VII to XII painted two pictures a day before the matches and we sent it to the French president after they won the finals,” said artist Prithviraj Kambli, who has been running the centre for the past 30 years.

A few weeks after they sent the package, the students were delighted to get a letter from Macron’s office.

The letter, in French, sent by the president’s head of staff, Francois Xavier Lauch, reads: “The French president acknowledges receipt of your courier comprising photographs and paintings which you have been kind enough to have put together. He is especially thankful for the wishes that you have conveyed through this work of art.”

This is not the first time the students have received appreciation from dignitaries abroad. In May, they got a letter from Buckingham Palace for sending wishes to the Queen on her 92nd birthday.

Similarly, in March, students from the centre made a rangoli of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables as a tribute to the state’s farmers. The students had collected over Rs 26,000 and donated it to farmers in drought-affected parts of Maharashtra .

