Craft Week Celebrations organised by Marudam Farm School, Tiruvannamalai, saw 146 students from different parts of the State as well as neighbouring States assemble to learn artisanal skills -- a combination of traditional knowledge and innovative ideas on varied subjects of craft.
Sujatha, a class VI student from Poovitham school located in Nagar Koodal village in Dharmapuri district, never knew such thing called ‘agappai’ a spoon with long handle made of coconut shells till she came for the craft week. Now she feels happy to have learnt to make it, though she calls it ‘kottanguchi karandi’.
She also learnt how to make eco-friendly plates out of leaves. Rameswari, a teacher from the school, said that all of their students were happy to learn newer things that would be useful in their life. V. Arun, a teacher of the school said that the first craft week was organised by the school in 2011 and only 20 children from outside the school participated then. It organically grew into 146 now, he said. The idea was to link children with traditional knowledge systems that local artisans and tribals practice, the teachers said.
