Project coordinators asked youngsters to come up with ideas for new products and services and then present their business plan in art form. The result is a colorful collage of creativity: There are "follow me" backpacks that can trail behind children on their way to school. There are flying cars that raise traffic congestion, veterinary hospitals that can cure all pet ailments and ice cream stores that offer cool summer temptations at rock bottom prices.

The project was conceived by Sridar Iyengar, the president of the Silicon Valley chapter of TiE, a global organization of influential Indian entrepreneurs. The group fosters entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking and education.

The book has received rave reviews from the Silicon Valley business community and also has a special foreword from New Age spiritual guru Deepak Chopra.

"In the sea of the collective imagination of our children lies the raw materials for building upon our society and civilization, materials that will address the ills of humanity today and in the coming years," Chopra says.

This artistic endeavor, a part of the mentoring process, had been in the works for two years.

India Community Center hosted the art festival in June 2003, and the paintings were exhibited at TiEcon 2004. TiEcon is an annual gathering of the top brass of the business community in Silicon Valley. Over the past several years, valley big wigs like Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison have been keynote speakers at the event.

"Most of the CEOs and venture capitalists who were there were extremely impressed with the ideas presented by the kids," says Krishna Kumar, editorial director of The Next Generation of Entrepreneurship.

Kumar, a Sunnyvale resident, is a fulltime journalist who volunteers his time with TiE and its projects. He is a technology writer who helped found Mantram, a glossy technology magazine for South Asians in the United States. He is also a correspondent with CNBC-TV 18, India's premier business and technology network.

Kumar says this art-to-entrepreneurship project is already in its second phase. "We plan to bring out a coffee table edition of this book that should be out in the next few months," he says.

The next edition will have a note from U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spelling, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Maria Shriver, the wife of California governor Arnold Schwartzenegger.

Kumar says that TiE is already talking to several school districts, including Cupertino's. "We plan to take this concept of planting the seeds of entrepreneurship to different school districts and community libraries, where close to a hundred children will participate at every venue." He says TiE will then take the paintings to greeting card companies to sell, and the proceeds from these sales will go to school districts and public libraries.

"Our vision is to take this on the road to as many children as possible," Kumar says.

For a copy of the book email Krishna@tie.org or call 408.567.0700.