American survivor of 26/11 starts project to teach children to spread peace through art
American survivor of 26/11 starts project to teach children to spread peace through artLinda Ragsdale, an American illustrator who held 13-year-old Naomi Scherr's dead body in her arms while 26/11 terrorists ravaged Tiffin restaurant at the Trident hotel on November 26 last year, is now on a mission to teach children to spread peace through art.
In memoryThe project titled The Peace Dragon is dedicated to the memory of Naomi, who had on that evening asked Linda to teach her how to draw a dragon.
Linda, who is a friend of Naomi's father Alan, was having dinner with them when the terrorists struck. They were visiting India on a spiritual retreat. Alan and Naomi died in the attack.
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Unfulfilled Wish: Naomi Scherr and her father Alanu00a0died in the Trident attack. Their friend Linda Ragsdale started her project in the duo's memory |
Time to healThe Peace Dragon currently organises classes for children who are encouraged to draw, in Linda's hometown of Nashville in the US.
"I am working hard to create a world where people can dine in peace, and know if their children get the opportunity to travel, that a dinner will be simply a sharing of local delicacies and nothing more," said Linda.
She wants to expand the project into an international one with even the hopes of an art exchange programme that will bring children of warring countries, like India and Pakistan, closer.
Comfort foodLinda's project is garnering attention in her hometown. "Through the college of arts in my hometown, they have created a social club to support the Peace Dragon's efforts.
We will create a section in the culinary arts about what we call 'comfort foods'. sThese are the foods we go to when we want warmth, love and peace delivered in edible spoonfuls," said Ragsdale.
33The number of people who died at the Trident and Oberoi hotels
