TIRUCHY: To steer children away from mindless entertainment and beat the indoor blues amid lockdown, this artist reached out to over 350 families to get their children to learn water colouring. Eager children took part in a free workshop to learn basic water colouring techniques online.
“In the age of the internet, there are so many avenues to keep oneself occupied, but whether they are all productive is a matter to think about. So, we came up with this idea to help at least a handful of children to be engaged productively and creatively,” said Muthukumar Ravi, artist and organiser of the workshop.
He is the director Mayan School of Fine Arts. “Involved in art, conducting a free workshop for the same seemed a good idea,” said Ravi. On the reason behind the idea, he said, “Had this been a normal annual vacation, children would have had several ways to keep themselves busy. Some may even go for summer camps. However, this is a pandemic that has locked us in our homes. Being idle is not good, especially for children. That is why we came up with this idea.”
Through the school’s Facebook page, WhatsApp posters and word-of-mouth, registration for the workshop began. The three-day workshop ended on June 6 and was for two hours each day. The children were given private links to tutorials on YouTube. After watching them, they were given activities which had to be
competed and submitted via WhatsApp for which they would get feedback.
“Of the around 300 students who registered, 270 have been consistent in submitting the assignment. We thought the numbers would be far lower, but I am glad we can introduce so many children to art,” said Ravi. The lessons start from colour composition to paintings. Children from LKG to Class 10 attended the event.
Most were from Tiruchy but many Tamil families from outside India like in the US and Oman also participated. They also gave away e-certificates to those who were consistent in submitting assignments.
Parent of five-year-old Irene Andrea from Tiruchy, Parimala Vaijayanthi, told TNIE, “Children need an outlet and a way to engage. My child used to paint and draw, this class gave her a structured route to follow. For those who just got introduced, it opens up an avenue into art and creativity. At the time of pandemic, this has been important.”