MYSURU: At a time when many children could not make the most of their free time during the lockdown induced by the pandemic, a 15-year-old girl from a remote village in Mysuru took it as an opportunity to try her hands at 'gourd art'. She developed the skill to such an extent that she bagged an award in a national event which concluded recently.
Chandana A, a Class 9 student of the government high school in GB Saragur of HD Kote taluk, has made the state proud by winning second place in the national-level Kala Utsav, an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. Her artwork helped her bag the award for the state under the category 'Indigenous Toys and Games'.
Daughter of a tailor, Chandana's confidence and determination stood her in good stead as frequent power cuts in her village and no proper access to machinery did not deter her dream to achieve big in the prestigious national art festival organised for high school students across the country.
"This is the first time we were able to take part at the national level and we are glad that we were able to win a prize. We had very little time to prepare for the event. With schools shut due to the pandemic, it was difficult for us to train the students. In addition, there were frequent power outages in Chandana's village, so I took her to my residence in Mysuru and she stayed with me for three days, getting access to the machines," said K Sangeetha, drawing teacher of the school.
Expressing happiness, Chandana attributed her success to her teacher. "My teacher helped me hone the skill. People have started identifying me and I feel really happy that I am able to get a prize at the national level," said Chandana, who aspires to become a doctor in future and continue practising in the art field.
Another student from the same school, Aishwarya G, had also represented the state in the event in the Visual Arts '3-D clay modeling' category.