It was a recreation of the “painting theatre” that was held at the same venue in the first week of December, 1994.
Artist T. Kaladharan wore the same multicoloured gown, complete with a sequinned wrap covering the head. Magician P.M. Upendra, who had then treated the children in attendance to some fine tricks up his sleeve, joined him, besides artist and documentary maker Binuraj Kalapeetom and mimicry artist K.S. Prasad.
The morning at Ernakulam Women’s Association opened with the students of Sradha Special School run by the association pouring out their creativity on paper.
After this, Binuraj drew a Gandhi on the canvas and Prasad asked the children to hoot and clap, which they did happily.
“This is something which we performed here some 23 years ago, and if you recall, one of the doves brought by you for the magic had flown away,” Kaladharan told Upendra, a train guard in the Railways posted at Shoranur at present.
“I don’t do illusions, as I’m basically a conjurer who learned magic from street magicians,” Mr. Upendra said. A performer, who has showcased his wizardry, primarily involving quick use of hands, across India and in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Mr. Upendra used cards, lemon, umbrellas, bells, ropes and rings to entertain the children.
“We have 40 students, primarily discarded from mainstream schools, at Sradha, some as aged as 47 years. Starting off with just a child in 1990, we have reached 40 now. We have a team of eight teachers who help them learn and grow,” Sreekumari Sundaram, president of the Ernakulam Women’s Association, said. Lilly, Principal of the school, said: “We have primary, secondary and three divisions of pre-vocational schooling.” The half-day event was a mix of painting, magic, and mimicry, but The highlight of the event was a painting done by Kaladharan which he made by blowing colours onto the sketch he had done on canvas.
