The Hindu Business Line : Sheer variety

The references are pretty impeccable. Mustafa Husain, son of painter M.F. Husain and director of Hyderabad's Cinema Ghar, the museum for art and cinema, mentions a bunch of kids among his valued visitors. The children, ages between 12 and 14, knew so much about the work of India's most multifaceted and written-about painter, that Mustafa was impressed.

The children belong to the Rainbow club started by Jenny Gupta in 1996. "The club has grown with the kids," says Jenny. She got together 12 children to help her shy daughter meet children from other schools and different backgrounds.

Seema Anand, whose son joined the club a few years ago, opted for Rainbow when she "saw the kid doing nothing much at home."

For the first few years, the club did nothing more than organise meetings and occasional picnics.

Then, as the children grew a little bored with the games and outings, Rainbow truly evolved. Inspired by the success of their visits to the Birla Science Museum and Salar Jung Museum, the parents decided to introduce their children to the tourist circuit that residents of a city often take for granted. The families take turns to host the monthly visits. Banks, post-offices, chocolate and biscuit factories... the list is imaginative! Parents demonstrate skills such as calligraphy or invite professionals to demonstrate eurythmics, pranayama and even personal grooming. "Most of the teachers are parents who are happy to share their skills," says Seema.

Sometimes, the meetings are restricted to discussions on current events like the Olympics or competitive examinations or even career guidance with specialists. Held on the first Saturday of every month, each one-and-a-half hour meet is rounded off with eats. The children, aged between 4 and 14 years, are divided into three groups. While no membership fee is charged, parents and children are fined Rs 100 if they are late, to drive home the importance of punctuality and discipline. The children get to celebrate a variety of religious festivals, as the group is a cosmopolitan one. "Rainbow meets encourage the children to mingle and enjoy the company of different kinds of people," says Seema.

The itinerary for the year is decided at the annual Moms' meeting and parents inform the child in advance about each place of visit and its features. The result is a bunch of kids who interact better, are more aware of their city and grow more tolerant and appreciative of others.

"We don't want the Cartoon Network culture for our kids," says Jenny. Sounds familiar?

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