Summer skills, magical memories

Children take part in art, craft and dance sessions at Kalakrida. Photos by Vaishnavi Lingsur

Children at Kalakrida. Photos by Vaishnavi Lingsur

Children at Kalakrida. Photos by Vaishnavi Lingsur

Often, childhood memories of the summer, set against the backdrop of the heat, sweet scents of summer blooms and relief of mid-summer rains, are vivid, brimming with time for leisure or to spend on any interest the heart desires.

This time, dedicated to the pursuit of a new hobby and interaction with friends, can have a profound impact on one’s interests, confidence and personality. Recognising the value of this period, several arts and culture foundations in the city are organising free-of-cost summer camps for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

One such initiative is Kalakrida — a three-week-long arts and culture camp for students at government schools in Jakkur, Bengaluru. “What we see usually in schools that the children attend, both government and private, is an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” says Anuradha Venkataraman, who founded the initiative.

“Dance, music, art and creative writing, on the other hand, take a backseat,” she adds. Schoolgoing children, however, retain curiosity and enthusiasm for the arts, displaying an endearing eagerness to learn.

The camps gather experienced artistes and experts to teach dance, theatre, music, painting, and even Konnakol (a classical art form). Out of these options, children have the choice to pick two courses. “The camp is a good opportunity to introduce these forms to children and build curiosity. What we have noticed is that there are a lot of children who come back the next year because they want to learn more,” says Venkataraman.

Brunda, for instance, has attended the Kalakrida camp right from its inception — for six years now. “I was in Class 6 when I started and now I am in Class 12. There is always something new to explore,” she says. The impact this has had on her personality and conception of self has been deep.

“There was always a hesitation to try out new things. Now, there is an innate confidence that I can try a new form and probably excel at it also,” she adds.

Visible impact

Santosh D D, an artiste who has taught the theatre course for three years now, explains that the impact is discernible. “There are students we have taught who had stage fright. Now, they volunteer and help teachers out with courses,” he says.

Santosh explains that the theatre exercises, both individually and in a group, are designed specifically to bring children out of their shells. This year, the classes include exercises in speech and riddles. “We are working on the play ‘Ogatina Rani’ written by ​​Kotiganahalli Ramaiah. Not only do these exercises help children open up, but they also enable them to develop an understanding of riddles, rhyme schemes and literature, apart from helping with speech and diction,” says Santosh.

Once this training is complete, children have the opportunity to display their learnings in a full-fledged production, complete with costumes and set design. In the audience are parents and other residents from the locality. “This experience, while helping children understand and appreciate their own accomplishments, can also help develop a kinship among the community,” says Venkataraman.

It is this showcase that has drawn more children from the community to participate in the camp. Six years ago, Kalakrida was attended by 30 children, now this number has grown to 100.

The camp also helps working parents, who cannot afford daycare and cannot stay home, to manage childcare in a safe environment. “The idea for the initiative really began when the housekeeper at my place told me that she was worried about her children being misled during the vacations. It is a good way also to keep children on the right track, encouraging them to express themselves creatively,” says Venkataraman.

Safe spaces

Another organisation, the Anandi Arts Foundation, has also been organising camps, albeit under a more fluid model. Keeping in mind that children from underprivileged backgrounds do not have access to activities or programmes that are available to children from more privileged sections of society, the charitable trust trains children in the basics of Odissi, Kalaripayattu, yoga, music public speaking, craft and improvisational theatre.

Classes for interested children are open year-round and the summer camp serves as an important period of continuance. “As the children are with Anandi throughout the year, summer holidays provide them the time and opportunity to hone their skills with dedicated workshops and mentoring,” says Vandana Supriya Kasaravalli, director, Anandi Arts Foundation.

The organisation has been working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds for close to 12 years now and the camps are free and open to all. Children are given the choice of how many hours they want to attend and how long they wish to continue.

Sinchana M, a student, who has been with the foundation for close to ten years now, explains the activities. “Apart from just learning an art form, such activities also help with physical fitness as Odissi is a challenging dance form. The form also encourages expression,” she says. Sinchana started attending classes at the foundation when she was just a Class 7 student. Now, she is in the first year of her Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Learning an art form also helps children with physical, mental and emotional growth, explains Kasaravalli. “It helps in understanding and sharing culture, promoting social skills that enhance perceptual and cognitive skills, apart from also imparting discipline, confidence and overall personality development,” she says.

Having found value in the course, Sinchana has introduced it to many children in her locality over the years. “Initially, a lot of girls are conscious as they are taught to be ashamed of movement. They may not even have a space for safe movement,” she explains. But such collective learning helps build collective confidence.

Rekha, a student in Class 9 who was introduced to the camp by Sinchana, has been attending for close to nine years. “I love the yoga, games and dance classes at the foundation. They have helped many of my peers with school and college fees and because of this support, I feel like they are family,” she says.