The artists -- Anjolie Ela Menon, Anupam Sud, Arpana Caur, Bulbul Sharma, Jatin Das, Jayshree Burman, Manu Parikh, Madhavi Parikh, Nupur Kundu, Paramjit, Paresh Maity, Satish Gupta, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Shamshad Husain, Subroto Kundu, Vasundhra Tiwari and Vinod Sharma have donated a painting each for the exhibition orgainsed by Art Today's Rekha Poorie, between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. In fact, as a special gesture to baby Tushar the gallery will be taking no commission.

From the time he was six months old, Tushar has been battling a host of infections and near-fatal diseases. Hooked on to a machine that helps him breathe, attached to a nasal tube through which he eats, sustained by an occasional intravenous (IV) line, Tushar is almost stoic, his face never reflecting the daily physical pain he undergoes. He clenches his fists every once in a while, which is almost a reaffirmation of his determination to struggle for every breath, to live to see better and healthier days.

Tushar has been on a ventilator at AIIMS for 17 months now. But there is still a big question mark over what he is really suffering from. Every time a different infection insidiously invades his fragile immune system, every time doctors begin to give up hope of his survival, the baby somehow manages to revive that flagging spirit and start treading tentatively on the steps towards normalcy.

His only hope is the specialised treatment he can get at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (affiliated to Massachusetts General Hospital) and Partner Healthcare Systems Inc (associated with Harvard Medical School). The Kulkarnis have already contacted doctors there, who are extremely positive about being able to help Tushar. Their logic is that any baby who is gaining weight is a growing baby and not a dying one. But the costs are prohibitive.

While the support and funds received were tremendous after an Express Newsline report on July 8, there are still miles to go. And it is hoped that this exhibition will help make that journey easier.

Tushar's parents -- Poonam and Sanjay Kulkarni -- have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from the artists. They galvanised themselves into action after a friend suggested the idea of an auction, and in this they were helped by Shamshad Husain, Uday Kaur and Kiran Nadar among others.

Tushar's fight could become a source of inspiration for millions of patients the world over. He was the biggest source of strength for his parents -- they couldn't possibly give up when he would not.