What do three high school kids do when they get together after school? No, they don't talk crushes or shopping dates. Instead, they plan a formal art exhibition, the first for two of them.

A month of hard work - that included selecting their best frames, designing the invitation cards, networking and booking a gallery - has made the trio's dream come true. Frames, a two-day exhibition by Tanushri Shah, Shristi Saraff and Anjali Kanodia, students of Modern High School for Girls, was held at ICCR recently. The young artists aren't content with just showcasing their talent. On both days of the exhibition, they hosted an art workshop for kids from NGOs.

"Art is an expression of my ideas and opinion, my escape from the world of reality. I wanted to help the kids bloom creatively," said Tanushri, a Class XII student who loves to dabble in conceptual art and has participated in exhibitions twice before. One of her favourites is a red heart made of M-Seal. "It depicts how one can be torn apart by powerful emotions," said the student, who also loves to bury her nose in physics and math books. "They are my passion too," she adds emphatically.

Tanushri's friends are equally in love with science, enjoying painting as much as physics, chemistry and robotics. "I love using oil colours to paint faces. One day, I will paint someone live," smiled Shristi. A feminist by confession, many of her frames represent the abused woman, who is in pain or anger with all her shackles. While Her Lady in Blue is sad with her life, her Woman in a Red Veil is a picture of anger. "They are all crying for freedom," explained the Class XII student.

Anjali, the youngest of the lot, has yet another heart to offer. This one, however, depicts the tussle between man and machine. "I am interested in human anatomy," she said. Her cloth and acrylic rendition of a Rajasthani man caught quite a few appreciative glances.

Anjali became friends with her two seniors at an art mela in school. "We bonded immediately and decided to host an exhibition together. We plan to do many more in future as a team," added Tanushri.

The trio exhibited 27 frames and a few sculptures at the exhibition. Passionate about the cause of child rights, the three taught origami and oil and charcoal painting to 26 kids from NGOs Bhasha and Disha. Two canvases showcased the collaborative artwork with the children while colourful samples of origami were hung in another corner of the gallery.