Little Adiya Gaitonde was busy at a stall making paper craft along with her mother Maithree Gaitonde, who was sitting on the floor on a colourful jute mat, when Adiya said, “We learnt so much at the festival today, we might even come back tomorrow.”
Talking to Gomantak Times Digital, Maithree who was at the Serendipity Arts Festival at the Art Park, said, “My daughter has a school project on upcycling waste material and this is the perfect place for her to learn it. It is better to learn it from experience than to read it from books and online material.”
Like Adiya, this years’ Serendipity Art Festival is focusing on interdisciplinary art forms, from craft, art, music, dance, theatre – with over 300 artistes, 150 interesting events and spread through around 11 venues.
Like Adiya and her family at the festival, there were many parents who brought their kids on the second day and the weekend for a fun learning experience.
“I took my kids to show them the process of handloom making. They were very fascinated, especially when they could try their hand at it. Since it is free, we need to book our slots and there is not much hassle about it. If my daughters find something interesting, they will ask a lot of questions, which means that as a parent I get to learn a bit too,” says Mmehami Sheikh from Panjim who, along with her daughters, was exploring eco-printing with flowers and leaves with Nila House at The ESG Lawn.
While it’s a win-win situation for both – parents and their kid – the venue has many such interactive learning opportunities. Teachers seem to have taken a lot more interest in taking their students for a field trip to Panjim, where they have a gala day and learn a bit.
Anita Borkar and Niraj Shetye from Mahila and Nutan English High School, Margao, along with their class of 40 students, came to ESG.
“The workshops have helped us learn about various sensory aspects like the smell of the ocean. I was thrilled about it,” says Niraj, talking about how it was his first experience. While Anita adds, saying, “I enjoyed the masks and puppet workshop, which focused on how puppetry is used in storytelling.”
It is finally a place where everyone takes a bit of fun, some memories and many lessons with them.