While the whole country took to social networking sites to express their love and respect for the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his 84th birthday, more than 100 students from ICAT Design and Media College commemorated this special day by organising a sand art and live sketching event on the shores of Marina Beach here last Thursday.
The day also marked the celebration of International Students’ Day. The students seemed to enjoy fetching pails of water from the sea to create the face of the man who inspired them. Using sand as a medium was one of the firsts for the students of ICAT who were more at home moderating designs through the click of a mouse.
With the event themed as ‘Many Faces of Dr Kalam', students had a three-day training and briefing session on how to use sand to bring out facial features. The happy students were all set to create the different faces of India’s Missile Man.
“He was an inspiration to millions. It gives us a sense of fulfillment to do something different on his birthday; and it makes us very happy. His loss has created a huge impact on youth. I am sure we will live up to his expectations or even surpass them,” says a student who participated in the event.
How did the idea of this event originate? Says Prof Vasanth from ICAT College, “It came from students who wanted to do something different from what they usually do in media school. We wanted to choose a new medium to celebrate this special day. The students who are participating today are freshers and it is a challenging experience for them.”
The students studied Kalam’s facial features to make the sand sculpture look as realistic as possible. Each of the 11 groups, which had 10 students each, was in the process of creating a three-feet sand sculpture of Dr Kalam.
“We wanted to do something different. It isn’t easy to work with sand but we had a wonderful time. Our faculty helped us and also the art department set up canvases for the public to write or sketch their thoughts about Kalam. Some people took part in this event and joined us in celebrating this day,” says Krishna, a first year student.
How do they want International Students day observed? All of them seem to have a similar answer: “We want all students to join hands and work as a team to achieve what Kalam dreamed of. Not only on this one day but every day,” they asserted.
“It is because of him that the notion of youth who are into vocational fields like media and design changed and took a positive turn. He gave us a dream, a dream where we can be whatever we want to be and a dream to do what we love,” adds Krishna.
Aashitha, a student of media and design, says she was shattered when she heard about his demise. “It was a loss that cannot be replaced. Through this event, we want more people to be inspired by his words,” she says.