Our recent sessions were conducted on the topic "What's in the basket ?" This topic is from a book that is part of the course curriculum of the 4th standard. When children draw on a topic that is part of their surroundings, they are more confident in participation. It allows them to connect, observe and imagine with ease.

It was a great experience, not only for the students but also for our art instructors who learned about the students' vacation experiences and what they enjoyed the most. The sessions with grades 4 and 5 were livelier, as each student had an interesting story to tell, not only on paper but also as a confident speaker in class.

“Shouldn’t you just teach the students who are actually good at drawing, rest of them won’t get it.”

Sound familiar? The concept of education in our country is limited to the mark sheets of the students. Children who take interest in drawing, singing or any other form of arts are generally asked to focus on the studies, stop distracting themselves with the extracurriculars and concentrate on the ‘subjects that matter’. These challenges have so far disabled the arts from serving their actual purposes.