Manasvi Rao, 17, does not attend regular college or school like most people her age, but aced her SSLC exam scoring 91 per cent. And the numerous paintings she has to her credit have something to do with her academic performance.
She will showcase the paintings at Prasad Art Gallery, Ballalbagh on November 8. The art is all syllabus-related and is done in abstract form. She said her paintings have different educational themes but were open to interpretation.
She is a product of Swaroopa Adhyayana Kendra – an initiative of Gopadkar, to bring about a change in the current “certificate-focused” education system.
The centre ensures that students practice dancing, singing and apply visual arts to learn conventional topics. Called “beyond the subject”, the method allows students to know themselves, which, according to Manasvi, “is an important step in the path to learning”.
She is one of the 40-odd students – ranging from class 8 to 10 – who follow this style of learning. “In keeping with the Swaroopa style of learning, it is not teaching the subject through art but it is more philosophical and realistic application of the concepts,” she said.
Manasvi has also recorded 13 CDs so far, each containing an SSLC subject-themed lyrics sung to the tune of film songs.
Her mother Sandhya heaped praises on the effect of the unique learning process. “I wanted my daughter to be an achiever. Traditional education system produces only learners, not achievers,” she said.
