"The Slum Queen" unveiled in J&K: Thought-provoking deep dive into lives of underprivileged [details]

J&K LG Manoj Sinha, at a special event at Raj Bhavan Auditorium on Wednesday, unveiled a book titled "The Slum Queen" by artist and philanthropist Rouble Nagi. At the book-unveiling event, prominent officials from the J&K administration, including Director Information Akshay Labroo, J&K Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi, senior journalists among others, were seen in attendance.

The unveiling of the book "The Slum Queen" is of huge significance as it encompasses the transformative journey of Nagi as an artist and a social worker who has actively been involved in improving the lives of the underprivileged. Nagi's NGO "Rouble Nagi Art Foundation" has carried out various workshops and initiatives to help the people living in the slums and villages in the last decade.

J&K LG Sinha lauded the commendable work done by the NGO, particularly in Baramulla and Kupwara districts of J&K. He also commended Nagi's efforts in women empowerment, creating job opportunities for youth and working towards children's education.

At the event, Nagi highlighted the objectives of her art foundation and the ongoing initiatives to improve the quality of life for the people of J&K and the rest of the country. She noted that through her NGO, more than 1.5 lakh houses have been repaired and her team is currently working in 163 slums and villages across the country.

The Slum Queen: A synopsis

"The Slum Queen is a collection of Nagi's experiences and memories, which are thought-provoking. She talks mainly about her organisation and the various initiatives taken towards the betterment of the underprivileged in her book. She even reflects on her life, being brought up in a military family and developing a passion for art and empathising towards people.

The Slum Queen has ten chapters with around 50,000 words. The book incorporates various photographs of her work in respective slums and villages to give a better perception to readers about the project and its impact.

"The narrative then forays into my career in art and I talk about how I always wanted art to become a medium with the help of which I could better the lives of those in peril. It follows into the initiatives that RNAF has undertaken and provides description of the works me and my team have done in slums and villages across India and the road I see ahead in terms of growing this initiative and how it has impacted the lives of so many people across the country," Nagi says in the book's synopsis.

The Slum Queen is available on Amazon, Flipkart and other channels for a price of Rs 349. It's a perfect addition to your bookshelf.

Who is Rouble Nagi?

Rouble Nagi, of Jammu & Kashmir origin, is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed Indian artist with over 800 murals and sculptures to her credit. She is a member of the India Design Council (IDC) and is one of the pioneers to start Mumbai beautification with 'Art Installations' around the city.

Besides Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she is known for her social initiative "Misaal Mumbai" now known as Misaal India. It was India's first Slum Transformation initiative with a vision for holistic change where she has transformed more than 300,000 dwellings by addressing issues focusing on Education, Employment along with Hygiene and Sanitation. The Initiative is working PAN India, stretching from rural Kashmir in the north to Telangana in the South, impacting over a million lives.

Rouble Nagi was the first artist to be invited to exhibit at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum New Delhi in 2017 and her work was selected by the honourable President of India to be put up at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum collection.