Through our Let’s Start Art sessions we have noticed that personal encounters of students with plants and animals or our environment, in general, are usually associated with positive emotions and connotations.

The second set of Let's Start Art sessions was conducted on the theme "Plants and Animals are our friends"

We, as conventional readers, would find it impossible to read or write in a way that does not match the rules of a specific language. But young children start developing literacy skills right from the moment people start talking to them and playing with them. As a result, children start babbling before they speak, and scribbling- drawing before they write. Letting children express what they feel through drawing and writing in their own free way would allow them to form narratives and get them started with writing. In this month of Let's Start Art sessions, we added emergent literacy practices to make the class more engaging and help children gain confidence as well as interest in literacy education.

Students at Government Primary School, Sonarpura completed their first mural on the walls of school corridor. Children worked on the theme "Water is Life" through interactive discussions with our art instructors regarding the uses, sources and conservation of water. The mural is crafted in the Warli folk art form which is a popular art form of Maharashtra, India.

I also realized that when we fail, we tend to give up immediately. However, that shouldn't be the approach. I have often noticed that many children who, initially, get disheartened in the first few drawings, draw enthusiastically and, often, beautifully when they persist.

Ajay Prakash is an artist from Varanasi. After completing his MFA he wants to become a teacher with an aim to guide students who have a knack for art. Currently, he is living his dream as an art instructor for children through Shuruart's Let's Start Art initiative. In this interview, Ajay talks about the challenges an artist from a place like Banaras has to undergo.