The Slum Queen

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A fascinating childhood and travel around the country in her early years helped Rouble Nagi inculcate the values that she embodies today. An artist at heart, Nagi pens down her experiences of her childhood and shares the unique perspective she developed in her growing years.

Is art for art sake only? Nagi documents the journey of her 'Misaal India' campaign. Taking birth in a Mumbai slum, the campaign gradually embraced its colorful walls and is marching towards a brighter future. Several workshops and skill centers that have been started in the slums and villages across India that she has worked in as part of her team's Misaal India campaign and how their inhabitants are seeing their dreams being fulfilled-the book documents all.

The book is an ode to all those who dream to change, to uplift the not-so-fortunate ones. It entails the journey of a vision that Nagi has, about an India where everyone is skilled enough to earn their own bread and have their talents recognized. Both Nagi and her team encourage those willing to join them and the book also provides a blueprint to those who venture to start something of their own.

Double Nagi is the Founder of Rouble Nagi Art Foundation & Rouble Nagi Design Studio. She is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist with over 800 murals and over 150 exhibitions worldwide. She was also a member of the India Design Council (IDC), and is one of the pioneers to start Mumbai beautification with 'Art Installations' around the city. She is also the first woman artist to be invited to exhibit at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Gallery, New Delhi.

Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF) is a not-for- profit organization set up with the vision to make sure that all children get an education that helps them become caring, responsible, and productive citizens. As a concrete step towards realizing this vision, RNAF runs various programmes aimed at providing quality education for underprivileged children by introducing low cost and sustainable educational models. Her latest initiative 'Misaal Mumbai' is the first slum transformation initiative in India, via art. The main aim is to connect to people through art, bring a positive change in their mindset and educate through art about the importance of children's education, empowering women, creating job opportunities for youth, cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation, waste management, say No to plastic & Children health in Slums & Villages. We have painted and repaired more than 1,50,000 plus homes to date and are currently working in over 163 slums and villages across India. Her paintings are collected by corporates, celebrities, Govt of India, and museums.

The primarily talks about the initiatives undertaken by me and my NGO, Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF) in betterment of the lives of the underprivileged throughout India. The book details the various workshops and other initiatives which the RNAF has organised over the years and, in particular, the book focuses on the initiative known as 'Misaal Mumbai', which later expanded into 'Misaal India'. Under this initiative, the RNAF has undertaken the task to beautify slums and villages across India. But the beautification is merely a stepping stone for addressing issues concerning the people living in the slums and villages. The book elaborates on the skill and learning centres that RNAF has built in these areas wherein we guide the residents towards a better future. The book also shares wonderful anecdotes regarding aspirations and dreams of individuals living within these communities and the hardships faced by them along with the challenges that we have had to face initially when we were trying to establish 'Misaal Mumbai'

The book is divided into ten chapters and that traces my journey from being born and brought up into a military family and slowly discovering the passion for art and how empathising towards people was ingrained within me from a very young age. The book entails an interesting journey as I grew up travelling across India and discovering new people and imbibing diverse cultures. The narrative then forays into my career in art and I talk about how I always wanted art to become a medium with the help of which I could better the lives of those in peril. It follows into the initiatives that RNAF has undertaken and provides description of the works me and my team have done in slums and villages across India and the road I see ahead in terms of growing this initiative and how it has impacted the lives of so many people across the country. The book also incorporates various photographs of our work in respective slums and villages to give a better perception to readers about the project and its impact.

It is extremely heartening to note that Ms. Rouble Nagi has penned down her experiences about working for the betterment of the underprivileged people living in slums and villages of India, in the form of this book titled Slum Queen. The diverse initiatives (earlier known as 'Misaal Mumbai' and later expanded into 'Misaal India') undertaken by herself and her NGO, Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF), which include running skill and learning centers for ascertaining a better future for these people, are exemplary. This book will definitely inspire many others to take up such noble tasks of serving the humanity.

Our Gurudev, Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya had great expectations from the youth. He used to be filled with joy when he visualized the future based on the potential and capabilities of the youth. He used to say with extreme confidence that, if the consciousness of the youth could be enlightened, we would readily usher in the new era of peace and harmony. The initiatives undertaken by Ms. Rouble Nagi seem to be perfectly in line with this vision, and further strengthen the hope for a bright future for humanity.

I convey my heartfelt Best Wishes to her for writing this book, and pray to Mother Gayatri and our Revered Gurusatta, to shower their affectionate blessings on her and all the members associated with RNAF, for their noble initiatives.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages