Saying it with a Sneha card

CARDS designed by special needs children have gone on sale in time for the coming major religious and cultural festivals.

The Sneha Centre, in Manama, is run by the Indian Ladies Association (ILA) for children with special needs and it has been releasing greeting cards using designs from the children's paintings since 2000.

Vani Krishnan, former president of the ILA and marketing co-ordinator for Sneha cards, said: "The idea of turning the Sneha paintings into greeting cards came to my mind when I was the president.

"It became a reality when Suresh Karunakaran, an employee at the time with Almoayyed International, used two paintings for his company's corporate greetings.

"Now Sneha cards are recognised as a hallmark of excellence in Bahrain and over 240,000 cards have been sold over the years."

The 2008 Sneha Card Collection is titled 'Amidst Colours' which includes a range of creative subjects rich in colour and expression.

The paintings and artwork produced by the children are part of the centre's Assisted Art Programme to nurture their skills.

Mrs Krishnan said: "Our Sneha children acquire skills in functional literacy, numeracy, music and art and crafts which in turn make them more confident.

"It's an achievement that speaks volumes for the talent and the enthusiasm of the Sneha children and the dedication and commitment of the co-ordinators and volunteers who have strived hard each year to successfully market these cards."

The cards have been well-received by many companies and individuals as evidenced by their impressive sales of more than 240,000 to date.

Mrs Krishnan added: "We have had a huge response from companies. Every year we sell between 30 and 40 boxes of cards to corporate organisations and over a 100 to individuals."

Members of the marketing team are Bhavna Shah, Kundan Shah, Shantini Raja, Suvasini Srinivas, Poonam Sharma and Manorama Gupta.

To order your box you can contact Mrs Krishnan on 39873357 or email ilabahrain@gmail.com