Taameer is a group of spoken word poets, content writers, graphic designers, musicians and dancers. It consists of students from across the country who regard themselves as artivists. They use different forms of art in an attempt to bring about change in society.
Recently, Taameer collaborated with Shri Ram College of Commerce’s (SRCC) Fine Arts Society for their fest ‘Artisia17’. Team Taameer spent weeks with around 50 underprivileged kids from Deepalaya, an NGO that works on alleviating issues affecting the urban and rural poor, with a special focus on children in Tilak Nagar, New Delhi.
The initiative, ‘Kissa Sunana Hai’, focused on nurturing art, dancing and singing among kids. Taameer’s members regularly took out time after college and office hours for the children and also ensured that different groups were taught song and dance on different days.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Initially, I thought teaching kids to sing would be tough. But, when I went there with my guitar on the first day, the kids picked up the song within minutes,” says Rubhen D’sa, founder of Taameer. “Surprisingly, in half an hour, the kids had memorised the one-and-a-half minute-long song.”
A bus took the kids to SRCC and the song and the dance were performed in the auditorium. “I don’t like singing but I love the song Kissa Sunana Hai ,” said Aman.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Taameer’s members focused on bringing out the kids’ hidden talent. “We managed to bring forth lots of creativity from the kids. The dance floor looked like an inter-state dispute over resources (props and costumes), photo frames and shoe aquariums had the kids grouped together and became treaties. The kids made me realise that deep down, we are all children who hide behind the facade of a disciplined front. Their optimistic outlook towards life and their talents were delightful, filling you with positivity and hope,” recalls Sidhhant Kapai, a writer and spoken word poet.
“The best part about ‘Kissa Sunana Hai’ was when I turned from Kinjal ma’am to Kinjal didi. That’s when I realised I was accepted by the kids,” recalls Kinjal Goel, one of the key members of the dance team.