MYSURU: With every power cut, 15-year-old Chandana's heart would plunge. Living in a remote village in Mysuru district, with no access to machinery and tools, she had lost hope of competing in the National Kala Utsav.
Timely assistance by her art teacher K Sangeetha, who took Chandana to her house for three days and helped her hone her skill of Gourd Art, ensured that she won second place at the national-level Kala Utsav, under the category 'Indigenous Toys and Games'. The Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, held in the early part of this year.
Sangeetha, a drawing teacher at the Government High School in GB Saragur in Mysuru district, proved the adage that a good teacher can inspire and ignite the imagination of a student.
Daughter of a tailor, Chandana, a Class 9 student who topped the state-level art competition and was selected for the Kala Utsav, had almost lost hope due to frequent power cuts in her village. Subsequent lockdowns played spoilsport as she lost out on training when schools were shut.
Sangeetha was determined to train Chandana for the national competition. She convinced Chandana’s parents and took her home to Mysuru, where she gave her hands-on experience in using the machinery. "We had very little time to prepare for the event. With schools shut, it was difficult to train the students," says Sangeetha. Despite using the machines for just three days, the talented Chandana bagged second prize, not possible without her teacher's effort.