Making a difference in the community for people with disabilities We currently are working with 12 artists and expect a few more to join soon. Our artists earn 66% of the profits. The response from these artists and parents has been heartwarming. Let me start with my(Harish Bikmal) son, Himal (diagnosed with severe non-verbal autism), is not usually very expressive, but when he sees one of his paintings hanging at a local business, the expression on his face is just priceless for us as parents. This is how the power of artistic expression has impacted him. For our family, it was the very spark of hope we so desperately needed to forge ahead. The father of an artist, whose talented daughter participated in an art show Zenaviv held last fall, told us that after the event, “she came to us [and] said ‘this is cool, and I am excited to be there’; words we heard as parents for the first time from our daughter.”
One mother, speaking of her son, says it has “given him a greater sense of satisfaction in his artwork, and consequently made him feel like a more valuable member of society. [He] is a happier person as a result of Zenaviv.” As a father myself, such news is gratifying and propels us to move ahead with re-doubled enthusiasm. Such heartwarming response from the artists on the Zenaviv platform and their families has validated the power of our cause. Thanks to recognition from organizations such as The Washington Post, Woman’s Day, and Four Seasons Hotels, the confidence level of Himal and the other artists has grown significantly. They feel a huge sense of accomplishment whenever their art is displayed, sold, or appreciated.

Inspiration behind Zenaviv I’m sure you could guess my son Himal was my((Harish Bikmal) inspiration to start Zenaviv. Let me tell you what led to the starting of Zenaviv. My son, Himal, was diagnosed with severe non-verbal at 2 years. We were told he may need to live in an institution by age 5 which left us with very little hope for what his life and our lives together are going to be. My wife and I constantly worried about his future – especially his life when we were gone and no longer there to take care of him. Like other parents, we struggled to do as many things as possible to help him, but the progress was very slow… When he was about 10 years old, keep in mind he couldn’t properly hold a fork, but began to paint! Since then his teachers and therapists have been tremendous in developing the skill and nurturing it providing a glimmer of hope to all of us. As Himal continued to paint and we continued to be overwhelmed with his medical bills. (There was no insurance coverage for autism in the US then.) So, we decided to hold a fundraiser to sell his art pieces. He had painted about 50 pieces at the time, and when people heard about the fundraiser, over 100 people from the community donated their art to our cause. We were so blown away by the support we felt. It was crazy! It deeply touched our hearts!
Then, on the day of the fundraiser, we sold over 1500 greeting cards in 2 hours and over 130 paintings in 6 hours. On the other hand, many families are tired of the daily challenges they face and lose hope for future over time. Then came the thought, can we turn the situation around for these families and make them proud of their child’s work by showcasing their talent to the world. This was where the idea of Zenaviv came from and where I was further inspired to help people on the spectrum and disabilities share their talent and help reduce the stress levels on the families by taking them outside of their daily challenges and helping them see some hope for the future!
In parallel, imagine the impact of this unique talent on this world!

Who can benefit from Zenaviv Any individual with a diagnosis of autism OR other disabilities whether it’s physical, neurological, developmental, or military related is welcome to apply. Our mission is to empower these artists by providing them with a means to earn income and boost their self-esteem. One can send us an email at Support@Zenaviv.com with a brief background on the individual (a couple of paragraphs) and pictures of at least four samples of their work. At this stage, pictures of the art taken by phone would be good enough. One can also go to our website and write to us from the Connect section. From there, we decide whether our platform would be a good fit for the applicant and whether their artwork would fit with our clients.

Our message We all - the parents and caregivers - of people impacted by autism or other disabilities are under constant stress and tired in life. It is a never-ending stream of struggles fighting one challenge or the other, each day. And, as a result it is very hard to see things in a different light. Being a parent and having met hundreds of other parents, I will say … there is a good possibility that there is some talent or passion or strength in your child that may yet to be discovered. So, try to identify and nurture that talent. While there are no tools to pinpoint the talent, parents generally have a hunch what that talent might be. So, please try out a few things. If you do not see progress on one try another one. It is not going to be easy though. So, work with passion. Be patient and persist. You may be pleasantly surprised. I have seen many of our kids become very good in visual arts, music and sports through training and nurturing. It is easier said than done, but, find and pursue their strengths It will more than likely be rewarding!
In summary, a disability is like a bend in the road, not the end of the road. If one has a child with disabilities, keep dreaming for him or her, and be an amazing friend. Find that spark and nurture it, basically recognize their potential and build on it. There is hope for the future and you will become proud of them.