Monroe doctor heads auction for Sri Lankan children in Tuxedo

TUXEDO PARK-After the Indian Ocean tsunami killed 275,000 people in Asia this past December, despite the absolute devastation, towns and villages rebuilt themselves. Today, tourism is back to normal. But the memories of the tragedy will live on forever- especially in the minds of young children. Sri Lankan children, who survived the great Indian Ocean tsunami, must live with the images of death and destruction for the rest of their lives. But through art, some Sri Lankan children have expressed those feelings and their memories of the tragic event. In May, The Photo News printed some of this artwork, showing readers what some of these children witnessed after the deadly tidal wave hit their hometown of Sri Lanka. Dr. Nilufer Clubwala, who works at Monroe Pediatrics on Gilbert Street in Monroe and who has been involved in the Monroe-Woodbury School District's staff and student physicals, brought the pieces back to Monroe for people to see. Now some of the artwork will be auctioned to raise money for Sri Lankan children. At the auction, which will be held at the Tuxedo Library, Clubwala will discuss what she saw and heard. She also will deliver a slide-show. Clubwala was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, where she studied at the Mama Parsi Girls School. After graduating from Dow Medical College in Karachi, she moved to New York City in 1981 and completed her residency training at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. She now lives with her family here in Orange County. Clubwala is a founding member of The Zarathushti/Zoroastrian Women's International Network (ZWIN). The group "links globally intergenerational Zarathushti women, to empower them to reach their full potential and to work actively toward promoting the exchange of ideas in all relevant social, educational and community issues." She networks with other Zarathushti health care professionals in an effort to better understand and document health-related issues that face the Zarathushti community in current times. Clubwala first brought these works of art by Sri Lankan children to the American public and now she will be heading the auction which will find the works of art new homes.