E-Paper
Of arts and kids
Arts - both performing and liberal - make a difference to childrens' lives, believe art exponents.
In these times when the academic performance is the valued benchmark, eminent people from liberal arts and performing arts make a strong pitch for incorporating various art foms in the educational curriculum of the students.
"Instead of confining the art forms like theatre, dancing, poetry and painting to only the annual sports day and founders' day, schools need to weave these activities in the every-day curriculum of the students to broaden their horizons," says renowned theatre director Feisal Alkazi.
"Every child is an artist. I believe all of us are artists. The performing and liberal arts shape the way an individual thinks. It makes a difference to the lives of children and makes them more perceptive to circumstances in life," he says.
Alkazi who has been working with children from varying economic strata for the past 33 years and has held theatre workshops in schools across the country advocates such opportunities for children that enable them to interact with the art and culture.
"Opportunities for the kids to interact with their culture is just so limited. They just lead mechanical lives. The schools, teachers and the subjects drive them to a wall. The arts bring the much-needed relief in their lives. Exposure to arts is not just for a career but to nurture an aesthetic appreciation in them" he says.
