Karisma Kapoor turns showstopper for Varun Bahl at 20th anniversary of Kapil Dev’s NGO Khushii

It was a star-studded night at the British High Commissioner’s residence as Kapil Dev’s NGO Khushii marked its 20th anniversary and raised funds through an art auction on April 12. 

The evening witnessed an exhibition of specially curated art and a limited-piece auction of exclusive sports memorabilia and paintings.

For the fashion show ‘Walk for Khushii,’ actor Karisma Kapoor turned showstopper for designer Varun Bahl in a floral lehenga.

The actor donned a multi-patchwork lehenga by couturier Varun Bahl from his Spring and Summer 2023 collection, Secret Garden.

While Kiran Nadar, the visionary behind the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, spoke about how her roots in philanthropy grew over time, Rani Kohenur aka Sushant Divgikr talked about gender equality.

Stressing the importance of philanthropy, Nadar, who recently won France’s highest civilian award 'Knight of the Legion of Honour', said she has always wanted people to benefit from her collection of art and hailed Kapil Dev’s efforts on education for children, especially girls. She recalled how her love for philanthropy led her to exhibit her personal art collection through her first museum.

Designers Gauri and Nainika and Isha Jajodia too showcased their collections at the event while Kapil Dev, Roshini Vadhera, Vandana Luthra were joined by the British High Commissioner Alex Ellis in walking the ramp.

Dressed in a light pastel pink kurta pyjama, Kapil Dev said he wants to reach out to as many children as possible to bring alive the joys in their lives. 

Established in 2003 by Kapil Dev, the Delhi based NGO ensures education for underprivileged children and upskilling women, and educating girls on menstrual hygiene.

Through its two educational initiatives Swatantra Shikshaantra and Shikshaantra Plus—the NGO aims to empower lives.

The Swantantra Shikshaantra Centre in Delhi, established in 2006, ensures a space for providing academic engagement to weak students from families living below the poverty line by providing them remedial education support along with mid-day meals, counseling sessions and health camps.

In 2022 alone, about 15,000 children benefited from the effort.

Through its Shikshaantra Plus initiative, it is working on targeted income improvement through remedial programs to help increase the scores of students.

The NGO claims that around 60,000 students across the country have benefited from this initiative across twelve states in 2022.

The NGO is also working on the physical, psychological and social development of children through its Shikshaantra Plus Mental Health and Education Programme.