When 100 top artists from across the country will gather in Mumbai on March 3 to dedicate and contribute one painting each for benefit of the families of the hotel staff members killed in the Mumbai terror attack, one name will stand out.

Ajay Choudhary, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone V, Ahmedabad, who deftly dabbles between being a cop and an abstract painter, will rub shoulders with the who's who of India's artists at the event.

The gifted artist, who is a self-taught abstractionist, has been invited by Anubha Mehta, the founder-editor of Art India, to dedicate one painting to “1x1 India” (one foot by one foot painting). The initiative will raise funds to help the families of those who were killed in Mumbai terror attacks.

“Artists and several corporate companies are coming together for this cause. It is an honour to showcase my painting along with the country's top artists. I have made one painting and sent it,” Choudhary said. The IPS officer has been described by M F Hussein as the “world's most gifted abstract painter” and has been conferred the title of “Living Art Form”.

Choudhary has already sent his art piece, which will be put up at a private art gallery. The entire collection received from the 100 artists will be unveiled on March 3. A catalogue of the collection is also being prepared.

Besides giving the paintings for the cause, the artists will also contribute funds for the families of the victims. Industrialists like Rahul Bajaj, Mukesh Ambani, Adi Godrej and others are also supporting Anubha Mehta's initiative.

An alumnus of IIT-Delhi, Choudhary went on to join Civil Services in the year 1999. This is not the first time that Choudhary has been invited by the art world of Mumbai.