Nilanjana Nandy

A perfect dose of critical thinking

admin — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:39:37 +0000

A perfect dose of critical thinking

Still thinking of the conversation I had with a thirteen year old & a ten year old last week. In one of the online art sessions, I was showing drawings and paintings by famous artists that depicted woman or a girl resting. It’s a weekly art session outside school and I wanted the children to draw a woman resting – sleeping, lying down, sitting and sipping coffee or tea or leaning against the wall. It could be a girl or a woman – any age group, urban or rural, outdoors or indoors but taking rest in some way or the other. Not sure, why I chose this topic. May be, I myself was too tired and was craving for some rest. To initiate the topic, I was showing how different artists have depicted such themes and it can become an interesting topic. I was discussing about the artists, their style, what kind of details they included, to which country they belonged or what was the general scenario during the time the work was made.

While I was showing the works by artists, suddenly the thirteen year old girl, said why does all these art works don’t mention the name of the person? Why are they nameless such as Woman resting on a charpoy, or The young girl resting or A girl asleep? Why don’t they have specific names? To this, the ten year old boy responded – too many names often hog too much attention. This excited me a lot. I let them talk for a while about their distinct viewpoints and was trying to understand their reading of the artwork. I am still curious about the reasons behind their observation. This asserting of individual identity by the little girl excited me a lot. I am tempted to interpret it further. However, I will refrain from that and not burden it with a grown up’s interpretation of the world. At the same time, her assertiveness cannot be missed. Even the response of the boy seemed appropriate to me in a world where majoritarianism constantly labels the other; in names we end up reading nationality, religion, caste etc.

After seeing the artworks, I asked them to sketch their mother or any other woman at home when they are resting so that we can start working on the topic next week. The sketches would help them to understand the formations of the figure. To this, they both blurted out – where? Where is a woman resting? My mother is constantly working. One of them added that though old, his grandmother sleeps only when everyone else at home is about to sleep. Till then she is constantly doing something or the other to help out everyone with their chores. The spontaneity in their reaction really made me think about what children see and how they interpret it. They read with a pair of eyes and mind which is fresh and thus, there is fluidity in their thoughts. It didn’t seem relevant to me to find out whether there’s a man resting at home; whether that’s commonly visible. Women folk hardly rest-that’s it. The observations were inter-generational and across different economic groups – mummy, maternal aunt, grandmother, didi (the house help).

By the end of the session, I briefly explained what it was in their comments and interpretation that caught my attention. According to me it is important to explain children rather than thinking it’s too early. It also made me reflect about all those instances when our institutions and authorities like schools, education board, fellow educators, parent groups and resource persons often feel content for children should have nothing to do with politics or it should be apolitical. But then how do you address these observation or understanding? Generalizing, ignoring, suppressing or simply hiding them under the carpet?

While all these thoughts are going on in my mind, the discussion made me search more examples of drawing, paintings and sculptures depicting woman resting. Several works do have the name especially when the model is related to the artist or a famous personality. I was excited to find a drawing by Kathe Kollwitz titled Lise sleeping on a sofa & a sketch by Henri Matisse titled Lydia Delectorskaya resting on her arms. I am planning to share these with the children next week.

Note: The images include Amrita Shergill’s Woman sleeping on a charpoy; Francois Boucher’s The young girl resting; Johannes Vermeer’s A girl asleep; Kathe Kollwitz’s Lise sleeping on a sofa & Henri Matisse’s Woman resting & Lydia Delectorskaya resting on her arms

A drawing conversation

admin — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 09:10:20 +0000

A drawing conversation

In January this year, I stayed for a month in Kawasoti in Nepal as part of the artist in residence program by Photo KTM5. The residency provided us the time and scope to observe closely, interact and find out more about the actual people and communities instrumental in the conservation and success of the world famous Community Forests of Nepal. One of the dominant tribe of the region is the Tharu people. Traditionally, it was mandatory for the women folk of the tribe to have tattoos. The elderly and the middle age women in the villages nearby had beautiful intricate tattoos on their hands, around the chest and legs. The younger women and girls don’t get tattoos done anymore on their body. They find it painful, unsafe and do not want something permanent. The tattoos on the body of these women will perish with their death and so will the tradition.

I was keen on finding more about the drawing aspect of these tattoos and how do the tattoo makers respond to the form, line and the surface(skin in this case). After several attempts by our host and environment activist Shri DB Chaudhary, we found about two women who used to make tattoos. I decided to meet them. Along with me, the other two resident artists also accompanied. We got late and they went to the fields to continue their work. It was the season for cutting of crops and preparing the land for the next harvest. Everyone was busy. We waited for a while. People in the neighbourhood knew about them making tattoos and seeing the three of us totally understood the purpose of the visit. One of them informed that some other tourists visited the women a few days back.

After a while Guljari ji and Sharada ji came back from the fields. We found out their names at that moment. Before that they were the women who make tattoos. We greeted each other and the conversation began. All of us had several questions. Gradually the conversation became almost an interview where the artist’s gaze was dominant. Anyway, I found out that they learnt to make tattoos from a tattoo artist who visited their paternal village when they were little girls. It seems the tattoo artist who visited their village was from India. Both of them are old now but not very old. They both have grandchildren. But then women would get married early and the gradual progression to motherhood and other phases of life followed. It was difficult to tell their exact age. They themselves were not very sure. They spoke about life in general, how earlier they were invited to make tattoos on different occasions. Now, no one is interested. For that matter, Guljari ji’s daughter had very few tattoo on her hands and that too very small; almost like fulfilling a criteria or a ritual. Her granddaughter who had just comeback from school clearly mentioned she doesn’t want any of that on her body. This claim on her body by a young girl seemed free spirited. At the same time her reaction seemed tinged with a colonial hangover that discouraged indigenous traditions and homogenized notions like what it is to be civilized or developed or beautiful in this case. Also as they are aging, their weak eye sight is failing to support the craft. They showed us the needles and handmade handles they created with wool and rope to hold the needle. They too confirmed that a group of tourists came few days back. After some time we returned.

I decided to visit them once more. This time I went alone. I had informed them earlier. The second time I visited them, they seemed more relaxed. I carried some images of my drawings and shared my drawings with them. To me it felt appropriate to have a dialogue about images, patterns, and ways of drawing rather than only focussing on the dying tradition of tattoo making in their community. I not only assumed but I believe that engaging with image making must have had an influence on their thinking , personality and other aspects of life and vice-versa. They were happy to see my work and looked at it closely. They were interested but it did not involve any naive sensation or awe. The art – the act of drawing probably diluted that. While there was wonder but it had an ease, an acceptance and to some extent making connections between mark making of different kinds. At least, that is how I will interpret their expression, questions and the conversation that followed. They showed the different designs they usually make. No, not recorded in a sketchbook. They stretched their arms, or lifted the border of the sari to show the ones on the legs. They did mention that there can be other designs too but would usually make the popular ones. Maybe, no one ever asked them to make something unique. Probably they were always asked to make something like the one that is already made. A woman from the neighbourhood joined us and showed a tattoo made by them on her hand.

I carried some papers to see if we could sit and draw together. Initially, they tried to draw with the needle on the paper. Soon, they felt that the process was not fluid enough and piercing on skin works very differently from that on a paper. They picked one of the pencils I carried. Among the two of them, Sharada ji seemed more confident to engage with new ideas. After drawing few designs on a paper, she wrote her name. In fact, she coaxed Guljari ji to write her name on the page she was working on. She mentioned they learnt to write name in a literacy programme conducted for the elders in their village few years back. In the ream of papers I carried, they identified the Nepali rice paper. Guljari ji mentioned it is the paper on which official documents were made traditionally. She was more interested in the other sheets. Conversation moved away from drawing or tattoos to life in general, about farming, running a house, taking care of the family, motherhood etc. They inquired about me, my family. Not surprised that I am single but they believed that a family is good for support. Life is long and marriage, children etc. keep us busy; takes care of loneliness.

After spending some time with them, I chose to leave. I invited them for the ‘kala kachahri’ – a get-together we organized for the people we engaged with during our stay in Kawasoti and the community around. I had many questions but those will require a durational engagement. I am particularly curious about their friendship and working together. The two are distant relatives. But what bonds them together? How they chose to do tattoos together and who draws what? What are the different roles they play in this collective act? How does the individual and collective engagement work for them not only in the context of tattoo making but life in general?

The residency was supported by PhotoKTM in collaboration with Jatayu Vulture Restaurant and Bird Conservation Nepal. Young nature guide Roshan helped me in translations and conversing with the local people during my stay in Kawasoti.

A packet full of jujube and long register notebook as gate-pass …

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 13:30:28 +0000

A packet full of jujube and long register notebook as gate-pass …

Recently, I conducted a three-day workshop at a village called Nalwa in Hisar, Haryana. The workshop was organized by Artreach India in collaboration with the Jindal Group for a group of twenty five young women in high school, college and in university. Many were graduates preparing for government job exams. Here I am sharing some of my experience and observations.
On the second day of the workshop, one of the participants brought jujube for us. She collected those from the trees near her house and brought it for us. She was hesitant and took permission before bringing it for us. After the whole day was spent drawing, painting and discussing different things, most of the participants had left. That’s when she gave this packet. This gesture of hers included both – gratitude and to be able to respectfully mingle with others in the society. The participants here understood very well the role of such workshops conducted by NGOs. However, it is also a mingling of people from distinct backgrounds and each one can share their unique experience. This simplicity and strength in her gesture was very moving to me. One reason can be that I interact a lot more with learners in big cities where such experiences are rare. In any case, what I want to point out here is that often in our parameters of learning accomplishments or in our interpretation of what is empowerment such observations are rarely considered. But in this case, it was quite noticeable to me.
The second day of the workshop was a Sunday and local schools and colleges were closed. The coaching centre at the community centre where we stayed and conducted the workshop was also closed. However, few participants carried notebook and pen with them the way they usually do on the other days. When asked why they brought their notebook and stationery on a Sunday when there are no classes, most of them started laughing. One of them mentioned that with a notebook, books and stationery, they can freely come out of the house without any restriction. The long register notebook is their gate pass. A workshop on drawing and painting may not seem like a great opportunity to their parents. Many may consider it wastage of time which can be otherwise used for household chores. However, leisure and creative engagement are our right to a dignified living. To have this inclination to explore diverse things and for that to use all the means available is a voice worth nurturing.

Over the years, I am meeting young people from distinct backgrounds and using art as a medium to engage with them. Along with them my understanding of accessibility, empowerment and meaningful engagement is also evolving. Both- my ways and expectations are transforming. Many participants in this workshop were very shy or hesitant but their body language, smiles and affirmative nod once in a while during the course of discussion were quite interesting. Often we expect to be able to speak up on a stage or articulate the process as reiterating the learning that happened. Here that was missing in most of the participants but they expressed differently. In our education and training system, we hardly consider these gestures and expression.

Workshop plan to be attached

Images: Artreach India

Why this mad rush?

admin — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 17:52:03 +0000

Why this mad rush?

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I have been observing a trend both in schools and other art class setups – a rush to introduce ‘one-point perspective’ to learners as young as eight years old (class 3 or 4 onwards). Why am I discussing this? In order to delve deeper into this, let me first explain what is done while introducing a concept like one-point perspective.

A diagram or template like image 1 & 2 is shown. Children are asked to use a scale to draw something similar. A definition like this is usually read out – ‘One point perspective is a drawing method that shows how things appear smaller as they get further away, converging towards a single ‘vanishing point’ on the horizon line. It is a way of drawing objects upon a flat piece of paper (or other drawing surface) so that they look three-dimensional and realistic.’

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A few art teachers mention the example of how a long road appears to converge at a distance (image 3). Children that young, mostly copy the template. Very few understand it and are hardly able to apply it in a different situation(image4).

Rarely the reasons behind why we need to know this is explained properly. The experience of what is the difference between an object lying close-by versus the same object kept far off and how to show this difference while drawing are hardly taken up. Sketching and recording such observations are rarely considered an important step.

The children are hardly engaged in experiencing and recording an object or a form at different eye-levels. Imagine what fun it will be if all twenty to twenty-five young ones in the group investigate forms at different eye-levels. Some standing on their chair to observe from above, a few seated on the floor to see from below the eye-level or a few moving the object to record it. Instead, diagram like image 5 are provided.

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I must add here, usually one topic is taken up over two to three art classes. Investing more time than this is not possible. Often quantity takes over everything else in an always productive work culture. Besides that, preparatory drawings, sketching to record or scribbling while thinking are rarely considered as desirable outcome of any exercise in an institutional setup. There is immense pressure for something spectacular all the time. Besides these institutional limitations, I am interested in understanding the reasons behind choosing such topics for young learners. Where is it coming from?

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Often, children till classes 3 or 4, sometimes even after that draw the ground at the very bottom of the sheet and sky at the top. While colouring, many leave the space in-between blank (image 6). When asked about the blank space, mostly there is no answer. Once in a blue moon, you may find a young one in your class who may reply that the space is air. When asked, mostly children respond by saying ‘I will fill it with different colours or patterns.’ To nurture a query like this in a child is of great value according to me. This liminality can initiate a lot of inquiry if sensitively taken up from time to time. The unpredictability is very playful in those formative years. Usually, we grownups are scared of such open-endedness while children comfortably navigate such processes. Sometime they draw the wall, the ceiling and the floor of an indoor space all together. Though many among art teachers enjoy that but ultimately, it is not correct (image 7 & 8). It has to change.

Children spontaneously draw things they know well. The details they include are impeccable. However, they don’t shy away from drawing something they are yet to understand or don’t remember too well. Their visual interpretation is playful and reflects their ways of thinking. Sometimes they think and draw in ways that don’t exist in the world around us. At that stage, it is not important whether the end product is convincing according to the criteria of the so-called REAL. What is important is to activate ways of thinking? In our curriculums, we hardly give any importance to the scribbles, dots and lines drawn by children in their elementary years where every single mark is drawn with a reason or there’s some story behind it. We impatiently wait for that phase to get over and the next phase of drawing recognizable things to begin. During this period, book illustrations, worksheets overcrowded with clip-art and images from mass-media condition the seeing and the drawing. We are hardly able to build on those abstract thoughts and accordingly the image making.

In my interaction with art teachers in schools, academies and hobby classes, I have often observed a sense of accomplishment to be able to take up one-point perspective. It is considered as essential to impart ‘SKILL’ and to make ‘REALISTIC’ drawings. As if, this is a magic tool. Using this, a young learner will surely produce realistic or real looking rose, fish, human figures etc. Another justification is that some of these things are vital components of art syllabus at +2 levels and further required for entrance in art colleges.

I am looking at this obsession as a colonial hangover as well. In our art colleges (from where a huge number of pass outs take up teaching art in schools as a profession), there is a hero worshipping of the works of Renaissance artists. The canons of one-point perspective, magic realism, photo-realism and so on is considered immensely important. Achieving a kind of visual likeness or a photograph like finishing becomes the ultimate aim of drawing and painting. It is considered REAL or CORRECT.

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Along with works of classical masters, if equal enthusiasm is shown in exploring multiple perspectives in traditions like the miniature paintings, folk /tribal art traditions or outsider art, a young art graduate will encounter, investigate and understand in myriad ways. What about child art? What about works of artists whose engagement is beyond the tenets of the so-called real? It helps in making connections between distinct ideas. Then the process of seeing, experiencing and creating will become constantly evolving. Equipped with an inclusive approach like this, I am sure teaching how to make REAL/CORRECT drawings will transform into something else.

A conservative understanding of what is meaningful or worth learning limits the process of exploring by a young learner. It also limits the purpose of the exercise taken up. Knowing a concept to understand it’s usage in the world around us is completely different from copying a template. A lot of parents worry that their children cannot draw the human figure or the animal form properly. Gradually, it becomes my child doesn’t draw too well. Then comes the stage of copying from ‘how to draw/paint’ videos on the internet. Before copying or practicing from some reference do we give some time to think why we need to copy? What are we trying to achieve by doing this? What kind of reference is worth copying?

Not only one-point perspective, there is a fast forwarding of several other concepts, topics and even medium used. As an experience to see, think, wonder and play will become meaningful when enough thought is given to the basic ‘What? Why? How?’ What is the nature of engagement and what is the final outcome expected – are essential questions that the art teacher needs to consider beforehand. There needs to be a lot of dialogue between the art teachers from distinct set ups. In out art colleges, there is hardly any discussion on art education especially regarding engaging young children with art. When the young art graduate becomes a teacher, they pass on the same stereotype to the young ones in their classrooms which they experienced in the colleges. Readymade templates and internet full of ‘how to do’ videos hardly address these questions. In our schools or other setups, mostly teachers follow rather than creating own content. When they create, there is very little meaningful support. Most of the training is from a perspective that the teacher doesn’t know much which in many cases is true because the training they received in their school and college rarely addressed these concerns. The same institutional lacuna in understanding a learner is applied on the teacher-learner in this case. Maybe, my thoughts are a little mixed up as these are all inter-related and one thing leads me to the other.

Credit: I thank all my young learners, their parents, schools and other organizations I have worked with for letting me document and use the children’s work to illustrate my understanding around art education practices.

Performing the onion…

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:21:43 +0000

Performing the onion…

These days, I am not able to stay for a considerable amount of time with anything in particular. Even sticking to a pattern is becoming very difficult. The reason can be varicoloured.

At times, I want to respond to the time and space spontaneously while investigating lines and mark-making. The visual-spatial in everyday settings such as, the scene outside visible through the square tiled window film at the dentist’s clinic or the pattern of lines and distribution of Black and Off-White on the bedsheet and the cushion covers in the drawing room have a great bearing on what I draw (or want to draw). There are numerous such moments or instances.

Another strong pull is the everyday news read or viewed, the socio-political scenario around, the implicit obedience and the unquestioning subservience expected in every walk of life. Finding or locating my voice amidst all this, to be able to hold on to that no matter how feeble it is, puts me at loggerheads with so many things both outside and inside. Responsibly amplifying this voice through my making/doing without falling for the tropes of shallow righteousness looks like an uphill task.

As I am reflecting, the everyday has started performing the onion. One after the other a layer is being revealed. A yet another facet of everyday is the self – me, a forty-two-year-old woman living with my mother, a seventy-eight-year-old woman, in the NCR. The everyday interactions between the two of us, the ways in which we negotiate with our immediate environment being a middle-income group citizen, our individual and collective aspirations, desires and frustrations are together a hideous mix.

Now that the flow of thoughts is quite fluid, I feel I can devour pages after pages of my diary contemplating distinct ‘every-days’ (not sure how much space it means on the site). I am aware that none of these are water tight compartments. Rather, they generously inform each other. However, presently the formations lack any formal or visual similitude. Conceptually too, they are a vast expanse. Any attempt to fathom their inter-connections seems impossible at least at the moment. Not that it has to be like that; at no point in my doing/making, I feel the need for creating similar looking things. To me it has always been an engagement over time. But it also means a vigorous pull and push between the disparate things. Topped with the vagaries of the pandemic, new normal and work from home, it is becoming impossible at the moment.

Sangeeta (संगीता)

admin — Sat, 15 May 2021 17:31:36 +0000

Sangeeta (संगीता)

गीता -Sangeeta was मधुबाला– Madhubala before she got married. There is this tradition of changing the girl’s name by would be in-laws according to the alphabet the priest suggests at the time of marriage.

In one of the conversations, ललिता -Lalita (Bhuri kaki’s youngest daughter in law who was प्रेमलता– Premalata before her marriage) mentioned that it is considered to be auspicious to have names according to the alphabet suggested by the priest. While the parents of a girl may do that at the time of the birth, the in-laws make sure they do it again at the time of marriage so that there is enough compatibility between the couple. She also mentioned how marriage transforms a girl; she becomes part of another family, which will eventually be her family and her identity. So, changing the name is a kind of reinforcement of those changes.

Coming back to Sangeeta, she is thirty, thirty-two years old. Again, it is based on the information in the bank account. She has no idea what her name means whether Sangeeta or Madhubala. She heads the Dinanath Self Help Group (SHG) in Kharveda along with Kachri. She has studied till class 5 in her primary years. Confident and fun loving, Sangeeta loves to talk. Mother of three – eldest Heena, her daughter got married few days before I first met her. The other two are Akshit and Dharmesh, school going boys, eleven or twelve years old. Her husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law all work in Ahmedabad at the construction sites. They visit her during the festivals and the harvesting season. It is in the city that Sangeeta watched her first movie” मैंने प्यार किया” – Maine pyar kiya. She is a great admirer of Salman Khan especially because of his बॉडी– baady ( body). The other day I was wondering how Sangeeta would react to the news of her favourite hero going to jail and then managed to get out of it as well; how will she react to the various charges on her idol; whether she will be able to maintain righteousness while reacting to this context. Next time I visit Kharveda, I would love to speak to her about it. Or maybe I should call her one of these days.

For that matter, what, how, when, which version of a news reaches these far-flung villages and how it is understood is worth thinking about. I clearly remember daughter of Kachri from Semalia asking me about the December 16th, 2012 Nirbhaya rape case and how most of them feel Delhi to be an unsafe rather a bad place to be in because girls get raped over there. Yes, Delhi is unsafe but then this is not the only thing to know.

Besides Salman Khan, Gopi bahu (from a daily soap) is another favourite of Sangeeta. Narrating an incident where she helped a family member to give up his drinking habits, she proudly mentioned, it was her favourite- Gopi bahu from whom she got inspiration to unconditionally love one’s family. She even went to a zoo in the city and remembers गेण्डा –genda– Rhinoceros and was feeling excited like a child. At home she loves मिठू -Mithu, the parrot. And felt animals like cows, buffaloes are common in villages; they are part of the family so the notion of favourite animal or bird is difficult for her to understand. Yellow is her favourite colour. While she was not able to remember the word पीला –peela meaning yellow, she pointed at the marigold outside her house. Later showed some of her yellow saris as well. She loves wearing danglers or longs earrings-लम्बी लम्बी झुमकी lambi lambi jhumki. In fact, one day we exchanged earrings to see how it looks… then she mentioned how every ten fifteen days she would change her earrings and often commented on my dressing, jewellery etc.

In fact, she was showing me the kind of cosmetics, undergarments available in Partapur. She even said how complicated it is to wear sari and work in fields. While working they have to constantly take care of the पल्लू– pallu… to cover their head. Otherwise, the elders in the village criticize. Enacting the posture, she said waist and other body parts like cleavage, hands etc gets exposed in a sari when they are cutting crops, picking fodder etc. She loves using perfumes and has got two three different ones. Fond of cooking she makes lot of different things. she loves eating ladies’ fingers- भिन्डी की सब्जी. Sangeeta is good at stitching. Often, she would do that. She even showed the wall she painted for her daughter’s wedding.

When asked, she wasn’t sure whether she would like to become a woman in her next birth. She said while she would love to but men have more freedom मर्दों को ज़्यादा छूंट है – mardon ko zyaada choont hai. Even if it is a man’s fault, everyone blames the woman. Even women themselves blame another woman. She feels though men are stronger(physically), they earn livelihood, a woman can be persistent in her ways, वह चाहे तो उसको अपने इशारे पे नचा सकती है –woh chahe to usko apne ishaare pe nacha sakti hain. While she was discussing all this, she felt being single I won’t be able to grasp such undercurrents between the sexes.

Sangeeta is a bundle of energy. Often, she would tell me different things about her village – facts, gossip, scandals, all. She was very enthusiastic the day children of the village gathered to draw and share their stories with each other. However, she feels they need to do more especially the women in the SHG. During the five weeks that I spent interacting with the women in Kharveda, Sangeeta was the only one who used to ask me what the other artists were doing in other villages and how the women in those villages were reacting.

Encountering the blank space…

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 09:20:53 +0000

Encountering the blank space…

Of late I have been thinking a lot about the ways I engage with young learners in school in the art class or in a workshop. These classes or workshops are mainly in schools, hobby classes and workshops organized by museums and NGOs. Engaging through art is a dynamic process. Here I am reflecting on the possibilities in distinct practices I have taken up or practices of my colleagues which I have found relatable while working with children using art as a medium.
In the year 2003, I joined a school in Delhi as an art teacher. The art period was forty to forty-five minutes long. With around forty or a few more children in the class, distributing the art material to them and then doing the exercise meant not even a minute per child. Besides that, there was hardly any art curriculum and a very basic set of guidelines by the board of education.

Not having any curriculum or well laid out guidelines was both a boon and a bane. Initially, I started working with different topics related to their immediate surroundings, festivals, seasons and so on. The sheet had to be filled with their imagination around the given topic. As the art teacher, my role was to activate their imagination around the topic. I tried different ways such as storytelling, bringing in some props or taking them out of the class to show some related things. It may sound easy but doing it is actually quite difficult. The energy and the mindfulness required are immense. 2003 was still too early for a projector and a computer in every class room. Besides the initial information, ideas and instructions shared with the entire class, it involved several rounds of responding to each child’s individual imagination and drawing skills. All this had to be done in a fun manner. Otherwise, children and their parents would lose interest especially in a subject where there are no marks. Very soon I realized that the children liked my class and I enjoyed working with them. What started bothering me was the monotony of this topic giving exercise.

I wanted to break this monotony. An instant solution was to take the children outdoors and draw trees, foliage. After a few outdoors in a year, the monotony returned. I had to go back to the topic giving module. I tried making it enjoyable by incorporating different medium & techniques but wanted something more to happen in my interaction with young children. Not sure whether it existed then but I was not aware of ready to use modules, lesson plans and demo videos as they are widespread now a days. My next aid was few art and craft books in the library. Most of these books were not made for the Indian scenario. So, every time I picked up an exercise from these books, I had to make it specific to my environment and according to the material available here. Gradually, I started designing my own exercises. Fortunately, most of it was well received by the learners, the parent group and even to a great extent by the school authorities. Thankfully, a range of ready to use modules weren’t there. Though over the years I have designed so many exercises and modules for art teachers, I honestly feel every teacher should design their own activities or exercises. Even if they are using a module designed by someone else, they should reframe it specific to what they want to do in their classrooms, keeping in mind the specific learning requirements in their classrooms. However, now a day we have everything ready to use. The activity, related references, the story of the artist, even formation of the drawing – everything is already put together. As a result, often all the twenty five or thirty learners in the class end up drawing the same thing. For me thirty to forty drawings from a group of children looking similar is extremely disheartening. Now days, to work on everyday topics or scenes as a method is usually considered obsolete. Every art exercise has to become an elaborate module.

During the pandemic, I attended several webinars on art education. In one of those, a performance artist who works as an art teacher in school briefly mentioned about different methods she uses in her art classes and one of those is giving topics like any festival or a market scene. I instantly recollected mine. Children’s imagination grows beautifully through the visual interpretation of interaction around different topics. Their observation skills and memory are also actively engaged. However, there is a shortcoming in this method. Very early in their learning, children realize who can visually express and who can’t. This can very easily de-motivate a young child to engage with art. Very few art teachers are able to break this and appreciate a child’s work for its strengths and critique it towards exploring more possibilities. With the obsession for photograph like finishing in drawing or painting in the Indian scenario, very early a learner becomes overtly judgmental about their creative expression. Another shortcoming of this method is the lack of challenge or anticipating the unknown for the art teacher. Teaching art ends up becoming a routine with no stimulus and in most cases the art teacher goes with no prior preparation or even a tentative plan.
Over the years I have tried out different approaches in my sessions. Sometimes I have introduced day to day topics, sometimes observational drawings and sometimes examples from art history like modern art movements, works of masters both Indian and from outside India and even contemporary art practices to young children. Some worked well while many didn’t and had to be reframed. I definitely enjoy bringing examples of artists, their work or a particular art movement. This adds more diversity to the art class through stories of different people, places and time frames. However, I am skeptical of working only through these throughout the academic year. All the time if a child is shown examples of art or artists and exercises are centered on that, rarely does the child gets to encounter the blank or empty space in a sheet. There is already a precedent to follow. Within the stipulated time in a school curriculum, it is almost impossible for a young child to overcome the awe of a master’s work. Most of the times, the art teacher is not able to simplify the different aspects of the artist’s work or the art movement shown. Many art teachers are not able to design the exercise where the child makes connection between what is shown from art history and things they already know. For example, if Cubism as an art movement is taken up then simply making the children do Cubist looking drawings is not an effective method. Rather posing the challenge of how to show a form from different perspective on the same pictorial space can be more challenging. For this, more than the learner the art teacher has to be prepared about the artist or art movement taken up and that effort is usually quite rare. Rather, it is missing.

While saying this, I must admit there are a range of related concerns such as – what becomes of young art graduates as art teachers in schools? Who they are? What is this ‘art teacher figure’ like especially in a scenario where there is barely any engagement with art education in our degree and PG courses? Who is this practitioner who engages with generations of young learners but has no presence in the contemporary art scenario? There are a range of such concerns about which I will write a separate post but surely in a scenario like this there is hardly any space for extended inquiry and meaningful engagement and inquiry.
Different approach has different possibilities. The main question then is to what extents are we pushing our own limits and exploring a particular method or approach. Working with only one kind of approach will limit both the educator and the learner. It is very surprising and disheartening to see how majority of art teachers in school are happy to live this monotony in their class rooms for years. However, when I heard the fellow educator in the webinar, I felt the need to not completely abandon working with everyday or commonplace topics. Surely, a few ‘me and my pet’, ‘my playground’ or ‘a market scene’ will not be all that boring or bad for the children.

Credit: I thank all my young learners, their parents, different schools and other organizations I have worked with for letting me document and use the children’s work to illustrate my understanding around art education practices.

Lake running from North Pole to South Pole

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 08:21:08 +0000

Lake running from North Pole to South Pole

The usual ritual is I ask what do you want to draw today. The answer varies from patterns to pizza; almost anything under the sun. That Sunday, he said I’ll make fruits.

Even before I could say anything, circular forms stared appearing.

I asked, what are these (pointing to the circles on the sheet)?”

‘These are fruits’, he replied.

It’s only after I started mentioning names of some of the fruits, some details were added to differentiate one circle from another.

Some space was left on the sheet after the fruits were drawn.

So, I asked, where are the fruits kept? In the fruit bowl, basket, on the table – where?

‘In the fruit basket’, pat came the reply. And an enclosure like form was drawn within no time (literally).

Still some space was left. So, I asked again, where is the fruit basket kept?

In the box (Immediately a rectangle was drawn)

Even before I could say anything, he said the box is open. Without lifting his head, added a wavy line at the bottom of the sheet. There was hardly any space left but he squeezed it in.

Lifted his head, looked at me and with a smile he said, the box is in the lake (someone threw it in the lake). The lake is running from North Pole to South Pole.

After sometime, he added eyes, nose & lips to the fruits and said, these are funny fruits.

He is Shreyas. He was five years old and was in his elementary school when he drew this in 2014.

It’s not about Shreyas only. Children in that age group, have many such stories to share. The nature of drawing and the choice of words varies but the imagination is always dense. We enjoy them in the classroom or at home; share it with the parents or fellow educators & sometimes quote them in our reports, blogs & websites. For the parents, this is not unusual as it is a regular phenomenon at home.

I am in awe of such stories & often wonder how to process this further. There is a natural ability in children to pick up words heard in different situations and use them in different ways – sometimes it fits well; many a times it doesn’t. To make too much out of these is like putting pressure on their imagination and playful expressions. In spite of knowing this, I still feel the urge to share it with a language teacher or develop few activities around it. However, that hardly happens (especially, in a school set up). In schools there is never enough time to do such things. Often when some exercise is done, to make it inter-disciplinary the visual art aspect is included either to decorate or to make some sketches in the end. It is rarely considered together and hardly included at the ideation(thinking) stage. I wish there was a possibility to instantly collaborate with a story teller or a puppeteer. I also wonder whether having a psychologist or some expert to study such intricacies in their stories would have been helpful. But that never happens.

What if a whole range of such expressions of a young learner is collected and intensely studied? For that matter, how to analyse these? Besides this, given the number of students in a class in school, it is practically impossible to record such happenings all the time. This happened in a smaller group of five students at home for a weekly art class and not a school set up.

How to encourage such story telling/imagining/making connections? How to trace the transformation from this kind of expression to the onset of logic and rational in the learning pattern of a child? How to retain such bringing together of distinct things? Is that even required? All this remains unanswered. And the trial and to make error by the educator continues.

However, this should not stop us from enjoying such expressions by the children. These are the most precious and delightful experience for an educator teaching the same curriculum for years. I thought of writing this not only to share my unanswered questions but also with the hope of getting to know experiences of other educators & facilitators working with children. Surely, many of them have baskets full of such stories. Hopefully, like Shreyas’s basket, theirs is also floating on a lake running from north pole to south pole

Babli devi (बब्बू -Babbu)

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 06:31:49 +0000

Babli devi (बब्बू -Babbu)

Babli devi (देवी), fondly called बब्बू (Babbu) by all including me, lives in the same village Kharveda, where Bhuri kaki lives. She doesn’t know the meaning of her name. When asked it didn’t make much difference to her. She said she must be thirty, thirty-five years old or maybe forty. Not sure, Babbu said “पहले तो बारह पंद्रह साल में ही शादी हो जाती थी, कोई पूँछता थोड़ी न था …” (earlier child marriage was common, rather it was the norm. No one used to ask the child for consent).

Fond of the colours Red and White, she feels White looks good on her. Roses are her most favourite, though not much available in her village or nearby market. I love all kind of jewellery but the anklets are my favourite. Showing the one she was wearing, Babbu mentioned that this is artificial (imitation- a word popularly used for jewellery other than gold or silver). She has silver anklets as well mostly worn during festivals, weddings or other such occasions. She puts bindi, sindoor, wears sari during festivals and weddings and also when she visits her parent’s place.

She loves eating wheat bread and lentils (गेहू की रोटी और दाल की सब्जी अच्छू लागे). In her free time, she listens to music, however doesn’t understand the Hindi wordings. She recollects a Vaagri song where the bride’s mother abuses the son-in-law in a jovial manner, like a joke. Other than this, a short trip to Partapur especially to the local market is common in the region. Babbu feels, if one has enough money then one can go to different places.

She says it’s okay if we don’t know something but we can always discuss things freely. (this she mentioned when one of the women from the village felt what will they talk about since I am from a city, and educated; they are in the village, most of them have not even been to schools)

She tries doing all her work and doesn’t care much about what she likes or dislikes; bending a little towards me, she says, “अपना काम तो करवू पड़े उसमे क्या शर्म “. Whenever she remembers something, immediately finishes that particular task. Now she is so used to doing her household chores, that even when taking a break or sitting idle, she keeps thinking about the pending work. I realized the whole time she was cleaning the wheat grains while talking to me.

Babbu loves to be within herself. Working in the farms, household chores like cooking, washing etc keeps her occupied all the time. Neither does she speaks rudely, or something offensive to others nor does she enjoys going to other people’s house (for chit chatting, gossiping etc). She mentions that some women speak very rudely and fight with their husbands all the time. Somehow, she doesn’t support that.

When asked about being courageous or fearless she said it requires courage to give birth to babies and raise them, pay back loans, do all kinds of work at home and in the fields- to run the house, to survive. Babbu often feels she has many thoughts which she is not able to express properly. She says, “विचार तो आता हैं, सोचते तो हैं, पर होंसला नहीं मिलता, हिम्मत नहीं रहतीI बोलते तो भी नहीं सुनते I “. She feels her husband can express rather speak better (mainly because he works in a big city like Mumbai). Hesitant and shy, she mentions with a smile, she doesn’t know how to sit with her husband, share some good moments, speak beautifully but yes, over the years has developed a strong friendship with him.