The Daira Centre For Arts and Culture’s Artful Thinking programme isn’t just a platform for kids to showcase their talent — it inspires them too. Beginning this past July, the programme partners with over 60 schools across Telangana, to educate children on the nuances of art by having them learn from the works of professional, legendary artists. Focussing on one artist every month, the students best works will then be put up at the Children’s Fine Art Gallery.
Passing on: Artist Thota Vaikuntam (right) with Ismail and his work.
The first such show was launched on October 19, with a 100 art works from students between classes 5 to 8, themed on the works of Telangana-based artist Thota Vaikuntam. Atika Amjad, director of the gallery, explains, “After Vaikuntam, we’ll be moving on to other artists such as M.F. Husain, Amrita Shergil, Raja Ravi Verma and more. We’re seeing how the curriculum goes this year, and hopefully take it to other cities next year.” At the end of the programme, students from each school will team up to create a mural, to display at the gallery in February, 2017.
Inspired: A few of the other art works made by students.
Md Ismail, a standard 6 student from Diamond Mission High School, says that learning from Vaikuntam’s art helped him learn how to focus. He says, “When I met Mr Vaikuntam at the gallery, he told us that even if our drawings are simple we should try adding a little extra to it, that will make it stand out.” Another student, Khaja Nayeemuddin of Golden Jubilee School, adds, “When we met Mr Vaikuntam he told us we should practise painting more, and that if we want to continue painting, we should not let anything stop us.”
Inspired: A few of the other art works made by students.
Artist Vaikuntam himself believes that the programme will get students to take up visual art forms. “In other countries, they take kids to museums, galleries, etc., and they get an idea about various art forms, the artists and more. That kind of a culture is lacking here and this sort of a programme will help imm-ensely.”
