A demon’s face, the solar system, an aquarium and colourful alphabet brought staid furniture to life at the Future Hope School on Monday.
Twenty-five students of classes V to XII spent Poila Baisakh morning dressing up desks and benches in the primary section to woo tiny tots to school. Some teachers, too, joined the students in the International Art Day celebrations.
The school’s assembly hall was buzzing with activity as paint, brushes and other art tools lay strewn around. The workshop organised by KMOMA, and supervised by artists Swarup Halder and Malay Gayen, saw children painting their emotions and aspirations on the furniture.
“It felt nice to do something for the little ones of our school,” said Rupsha Sardar of Class VIII who painted an alpona (pattern) on a desk. “I have learnt this art form at home. I hope to inspire the user of this desk to take up art too,” said the girl who was at work since 10am.
Ashis Mistry of Class IX loves science and wanted to transfer his passion and curiosity to a junior through a black solar system.
The painted desks will be distributed among the junior classes — kindergarten to V — to make school more fun for beginners.
The supervising artists wanted the students’ imagination to reign supreme. “We asked them to draw whatever was on their mind. We did not want to limit them with a structure. After all art should be a stress-buster,” said artist Halder.
“I saw a child drawing a black flower. I did question his choice of colour. But the student maintained that’s how flowers were in his mind. Maybe he was expressing some kind of pain…,” Gayen said.
This is the first time KMOMA has organised a workshop with the underprivileged children of Future Hope.
“The painted furniture will generate a lot of interest among the young ones. It will make going to school fun for them. We plan to place the painted desks strategically in every pri- mary section classroom and, maybe, make kids earn their right over them,” laughed Sujata Sen, the chief executive officer of the organisation.
From using their fingers to smearing themselves in paint, the children had great fun working with colours.
Sk. Badal, a Class XI student, was happy with the face of demon that emerged after all his hard work. “I am really hoping the kids like my work. I hope the painting takes them to the fantasy world despite the rigours of school life,” he added with a smile..
Source: Telegraph India
