view from the wing -1

We have had a very gratifying time celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi on 2nd October. Mrs.Rajalakshmi of Avvai Home where we have been working on art and education projects asked me if we could do some workshop during the quarterly holidays for the school September 23rd through October 2nd with the core group of girls at the hostel who had nowhere to go. I told her I would be happy to do a spinning on the Charkha workshop with the girls so they can produce khadi yarn that can be used as garlands for school. I remembered Leela Samson, Director, Kalakshetra telling me that she wanted students of Kalakshetra to be involved in outreach programmes. So I decided that along with the spinning workshop we could have a dance workshop with students of Kalakshetra choreographing to a song that addressed Charkha sung by D.K.Pattammal in the pre independence days. I hunted for the song and finally Vasantha was able to track down a teacher Mrs.Padma who had hummed it while I had done a workshop for teachers at Akshara Vidyapeetha of Swami Suddhananda. We went to her house and recorded the song, brought it to Kalakshetra principal Mrs.Lalitha Rukmini who refined it, added some swaras to it and gave some Jathis. This was taught to kalakshetra students who came to Avvai Home everyday and lovingly taught the girls. They also lent their dance practice saris, lovingly did the costumes and decoration for the girls combing their hair, keeping flowers etc. It really was a beautiful collaboration. Leela Samson was gracious to a very great extant and really opened up Kalakshetra.

In the meanwhile, Sangeeta Isvaran one of our most intelligent and creative dancers offered to do a dance drama production with the younger girls. She did a workshop with them asking to tell stories of things that disturbed them, discussed peace and non violence and evolved a most interesting production with the students. Not only was it fun and joyful for the girls but also very educative and challenging. She had the girls work on a pinnal with saris.

On October 2nd, I decided to do demonstration of spinning at the Fabindia store in Besant Nagar, girls of Avvai Home hostel dressed themselves beautifully in skirt and dhavani and did the demonstration and taught it to the many young and old who came to try their hands at the spinning. The yarn spun by the girls were given as garlands to Justice Mohan and Leela Samson.

The programme at Kalakshetra started at 6 pm with the lighting of the lamp and speeches by Justice Mohan who had been asked to be the chief guest by Sarvodaya International under whose aegies we were doing the programme. The programme by the girls and the music that followed by kalakshetra were inspiring and naturally there were congrajulations galore from everyone who appreciated the spirit of the progrmame.