Doodle your worries away

Fifty seconds and a handful of bizarre strokes: in under a minute, LIMCA record-holder Sajjive Balakrishnan caricatures the face of an excited volunteer. Nope — this isn't right out of a reality show, it's the inaugural segment of the fourth edition of the city-based Doodle Festival. Organized at the Shiv Nadar School, Noida, The Doodle Festival is a two-day celebration of all things art, creativity and freedom. The creative brainchild of cartoonist Ajit Narayan, this fest has taken flight at this school for the past two years. This year, the event saw lively participation from students across 15 schools, as well as workshops taught by 12 artists. “The festival is an interactive, wholesome event,” shares Ajit Narayan. “Here, the students do not participate to be in awe of the artists and their works. But, the artists simply share their knowledge and create a space of comfort and creativity for the students.”

Gone are the days when art was constrained within the idea of a paper and a pencil. In the courtyard of the school, the kids raise a newspaper hat to their heads, as artist Amita Khare guides them through an interactive session of visual storytelling. In another classroom, students bring shapes and colours to life in a collage, under the keen eye of Suvidha Mistry, a graphic designer. Every session was an effort in challenging the student, and letting him or her explore her abilities. Sajjive Balakrishnan, the chief guest agrees that creative freedom is the need of the hour. “I believe mobile phones are a great bane for young children. It limits their communication and creativity. Schools must take up the responsibility to indulge children in creative initiatives like these to open up their mind.” While the jovial artist is the deputy commissioner in the income tax department in Kochi, his love for caricature brings him to the event, where he hopes that the students find their creative spirit.

There is nothing more telling of the event than the excitement of students around. Manya Durga, a student, considers the festival a great way for students like her to express themselves in new ways

“When I can't find the words to express myself, I turn to art,” she reveals. “For students like me, the festival is a great way to learn things we didn't even know about. There is a workshop called deconstructing the 3D cube — I'm sure no one had heard of that, but now we get to explore it.”

“Doodling is a word that is free of the baggage of writing, reading and speaking - it is doing all of that and more,” points out Shashi Banerjee, the principal of the school. She emphasizes, “Doodling is an interactive space — and in the 21st century, it is extremely essential to build spaces for students that shout of diverse opinions and identities.” One wonders whether  festivals like this one are a step towards reforming the methods of learning or not.  Banerjee certainly thinks so and adds, “There is a movement from content to process (in education). Earlier, the focus was on content. Today, the focus is on the process. We are moving towards a world of pedagogy that involves not only textbooks, but also art, music, theatre and dance.”