An artist with a green motif

Suhail Jashanmal considers himself an active advocate for the environment who has chosen art as the medium to further the cause. Born in India, he considers the UAE home. A fire that ravaged a mangrove helped him make up his mind about what he wanted to do. However, it wasn't simply the fire that lit a flame in his heart to further awareness about the environment. What really moved him to action was the indifference displayed by fishermen who were standing only metres away to the blaze. "They had been there before and watched it grow to that size. They had seen it smoking but did nothing," Jashanmal told Gulf News. The fishermen simply did not consider the fire "their problem", he recalls. So, Jashanmal decided to make it a mission in his life to help educate others to take responsibility to protect the environment. "I was thinking about this apathy, this indifference, so I decided to do something about it. I wanted to take positive action instead of blaming others. I wanted to be part of the solution," says Jashanmal, who completed his higher college education in the United States, but has spent most of his life in the UAE. Jashanmal leverages his talents, skills and connections to further environmental causes. He founded Green Abu Dhabi with the aim of rallying the community to better care for the environment. "Green Abu Dhabi is a grass roots initiative designed to activate as many individuals, companies, or government agencies to solve, with group action, some basic problems we face," he says. He uses art as a medium to get people to understand the value of sustainability and the permanent impact of their actions on the environment, and conversely the impact of environmental degeneration on the lives of people. Consistent message He curated a three-week art show focused on educating the community about the green way of life. "I asked my colleagues to create new work within a certain curatorial statement or paradigm on the environment and sustainable development. And then, we worked together to mould their work into one consistent message for the public, he explained. His strategy is to get artists to convey a message about the environment. Art exhibitions are a way to influence thoughts through art. People buy art, and large portions of the proceeds are used to fund efforts geared to spread the message of environmental protection and sustainability, he says. His also leverages his standing to raise funds for other public causes, such as the Future Centre of Abu Dhabi, EWS-WWF and the Sharjah Humanitarian City. Fund-raising success So far, he has raised over Dh300,000 in a campaign that is gaining momentum. Jashanmal's love for t heritage is clear in his quest to propel obscure local talent into the limelight and to help them gain recognition in the world of art. "We want people to buy with understanding that they are supporting local artists who will represent the real strength of UAE heritage at the Guggenheim and the Louvre [museums]," he says. "When someone buys a painting and puts it in his house or office, someone will always ask what is it about and its origin. This keeps the cause and objectives alive. Through art we can help the environment, which in turn will impact and change us," he added. He hopes to connect corporates, governments and the people in his environmental mission. "The aim is to hold an annual community event that eventually works its way up the highest levels of decision-making in the UAE."