BENGALURU: 65-year-old Padmini would never have considered climbing stairs a few months ago, she suffers from arthritis and knee pain. But recently, she says, the elevator in a commercial complex was not working and she was forced to take stairs. “I was happy that I could climb the three flights of stairs to attend my class,” says Padmini. Thanks to art therapy.
She has been attending classes organised by New Age Artists every week, for the last four months. This is a group that helps senior citizens stay healthy through art.
Padmini herself is an art teacher. “I teach art to children,” she says. “I’ve fallen sick during these classes and doctors were brought in. But I see an improvement now and art is my therapy. It is meditation and, when you are engrossed in it, you forget the pain.”
Rashmi K, the founder of New Age Artists, says, “Art is not just a creative outlet but a way to heal yourself too. Painting helps in reducing stress, and easing depression and joint pain.”
Another senior citizen and group member Lakshmi says, “I am a diabetic, and have a thyroid imbalance and arthritis. I cannot sit or stand for long but I still paint and enjoy it. It is absorbing and calming.”
Started two years ago, the group meets twice every week for two hours each. Teachers from different schools of art come down to teach this group of 12 students.
Satish G Dattatri, with a Masters in Art from a London school, teaches the 60-year-olds. He says, “The students are in their 60s. When they came first, they used to ask what is the point of learning art at an old age. We made them understand that age is just a number.”
Rashmi adds, “Art helps you be yourself and gives you space. People are constantly busy and have no time for themselves.”
Art is also cleansing, she says. “It is so absorbing that you forget your worries and thus it clears your mind.”
The workshop has five levels of study and the students are just on their first. “They haven’t started working with the materials yet,” says Satish.