Badlani Foundation Traffic Safety Mural Unveiled at the Library

The Nikhil Badlani Foundation unveiled its community traffic safety mural at the West Orange Library on Sunday, April 14, 2013. The colorful, wall-sized mural was created primarily with student volunteers along with artistic direction from many parents and adults. The dedication ceremony and unveiling were standing-room only, spilling out of the library meeting room.

The Badlani Foundation is named for the 11-year-old town resident who was tragically killed in a 2011 traffic accident. Nikhil's parents, Sangeeta and Sunil, created the foundation with family and friends in his memory, dedicated to promoting traffic safety and helping children who share Nikhil's interest and achievement in music and academics. For more information, please visit the foundation's website at http://nikhilbadlanifoundation.org/.

The following article was written by Ms. Renée Riczker, director of the West Orange Library. (Ms. Badlani asked me to post the article and pictures.)

It was standing room only at the West Orange Public Library on Sunday as residents anxiously anticipated the unveiling of the new community traffic safety mural.  Under the direction of Kim Scheib and Cindy Klein, local children and teens designed and created a colorful mural to draw attention to common driving distractions and to highlight the importance of safe driving practices. More than 100 community members were in attendance at the event. 

Sponsored by the Badlani Foundation, the colorful collage is composed of tissue paper and paint on plexiglass squares. The mounting allows light to show through which gives a stained glass effect.  Library Director Renée Riczker explained that in addition to Distracted Driving Awareness Month, this is also National Library Week. The theme of National Library Week this year is “Communities Matter.”  The theme celebrates the importance of libraries at the heart of their communities. “The Library is a place where everyone can come together to connect to enrich the community and to address issues at the local level. One of the most important issues we can address is traffic safety,” said Ms. Riczker. She then cited some sobering statistics regarding distracted driving. Sangeeta Badlani described the mural project and invited the youths who participated to come forward to be recognized amidst much applause. A slideshow illustrated the work in progress.

The crowd then moved to the main area of the Library to get the first glimpse of the mural. Anay Badlani did the honor of dropping the curtain to unveil the masterpiece amidst oohs and aahs from the crowd. The brightly colored mural can be seen just inside the main Library entrance. Make sure to stop by the Library and check it out. When you do, look closely. Like the pages of a picture book, each panel tells a story – often using humor to get the point across. The WO Library is located at 46 Mt. Pleasant Avenue.

Donations may be made to the Library’s Nikhil Badlani Memorial Fund. Funds are used to purchase books for the young adult collection.