KOZHIKODE: Reviving the traditional lifestyle, food habits and old games of the state, besides making the children develop their creative skills, ‘Mannappam,’ a 10-day vacation camp, was held at the Sadbhavana World School. As many as 40 students from classes III to X participated in the camp that began on April 21. By spending a day with fishermen, having traditional food such as tapioca, rice porridge and rice porridge with milk (paal kanji) at the residential camp, learning folk songs, old games such as ‘thalappanthukali’, ‘kakku kali’, ‘kannarampothu kali’, etc., taking part in kite-making, puppet-making, bamboo products-making workshops and theatre camp, the children were taken to the good old days.
“We arranged the camp to give an opportunity to children, who nowadays confine themselves to playing games on the computer and mobile phones, to understand the culture and tradition of the past. We also tried to make them know the soil and to develop a love for it,” said camp director Santhosh Chirakkara.
The students took part in fishing and spent a day with the fishermen at Veloor West in Atholi, performed puppetry show with the puppets made by them, made kites and flew them on the beach during the camp.
“It was a different experience and even though we could not catch fish, it was the day when we went for fishing that I liked the most at the camp. The fishermen showed us various fishing methods like catching fish with coconut leaves and stick and with the hands alone. It was really wonderful,” said K Kshetra Sudheesh, a class V student.
The camp ended with the three-day theatre camp led by Shibu Muthattu and Vinu Kuruvangadu.
The students staged three productions on the concluding day, Thursday.