“In the lockdown period, there is a lot of colour and art to look forward to,” enthuses Atika Amjad of Children’s Fine Art Gallery. The gallery, an initiative of Daira — Centre for Culture and Arts — has collaborated with Teach For India to launch ‘Art Karo Na’ a unique competition for children from five years to teenagers till 18.
Children have a natural urge to create and art provides an opportunity to express. Now, during this lockdown period, children get a digital platform to display their works. Atika explains they decided to call it a competition so that it is taken it up as a challenge to explore new themes. “Also parents are at home and can support with technology. The Fellows attached to Teach for India also promote it and the parents have to see WhatsApp status which reveals themes to work on and digital certificates are sent to the winners.” While some parents upload works on their own, Teach for India fellows also help out those who cannot do it by registering on their behalf.
A new theme is revealed everyday and the judges too change daily. She recalls, “In the topic ‘Change the shape’, the young minds gave new shapes to existing things. We gave them examples of fruits too asking them to draw a squared-shaped watermelon, circular banana and a rectangular pomegranate. There were a lot of exciting shapes.”
For the comical self-portrait theme, participants had to convert their self-portrait into comical ones and was judged by artist Rajendra Kapse. Till now Tapan Dash, Girish Kulkarni, Avadesh Yadav, Basant Bhargav and Kappari Kishan have been judges for the competition. In the topic, “Mann ki Baat — Decoding Expressions’, master painter Thota Vaikuntam was in focus. “The senior artist is known to paint Telangana women in a rural setting. Art enthusiasts had to draw a few lines, imagine and write what these women must be talking. We also plan to have a Raja Ravi Varma theme and students have to write an imaginary story based the work and perform. These videos will be sent to actor Shafi.”
Looking through a window
The competition is for young art enthusiasts across India and even abroad as it is technology driven. Athika reveals they have been receiving more than 1000 entries every day. “The student-works have to be genuine. We can guess when an adult helps the ward.”
To know more: 98499 87187 or 08019762868; email: thecfagindia@gmail.com; if one is unable to upload, contact: 75691 91615 or 97555 49063
