Here’s an innovative way to teach kids about Indian folk art

Using animations in an assortment of art styles, especially folk styles of India, the Foundation for Indian Art Education, Goa, (FIAE) aims to familiarise children with the world of art.
'The Bad King Who Became a Good King' is one of the animation films which aims to familiarise children with folk art
'The Bad King Who Became a Good King' is one of the animation films which aims to familiarise children with folk artGomantak Times

Teaching is a very dynamic process, where one has to evolve with time in order to make the whole process interesting and intriguing for learners. And now, with technology, apps and websites, it has become much easier and more accessible for anyone to learn.

Taking a cue from here, FIAE (Foundation for Indian Art Education, Goa) has now come up with animation films for young children that tell a story through the medium of Indian Folk Art. They have recently released five films on their YouTube channel, which are based on children’s books, written and illustrated by K G Subramanyan and A Ramachandran.

This project is part of their ongoing engagement with ‘Art in Schools’ programme. The idea behind the project is to do this indirectly by showing them animations done in various art styles, especially non-realistic and folk styles of India. Through this, they hope to familiarise children with the narrative and expressive possibilities of different styles and prepare them to respond to a diversity of art practices.

SENSITIZING CHILDREN TO ART

Art historian and educationist Raman Siva Kumar, who is also part of FIAE, says that this concept came up when they could not conduct in-person workshops for school-level art teachers in Goa, which were held in collaboration with The Directorate of Education, due to the pandemic.

Thus, they thought of this concept of animation films, since their aim is not to ‘teach’ children about art history or fill them with facts and explanations as that could be counterproductive.

Kumar believes that it is necessary to expand the visual language of the children, especially in times when they are overloaded with images of the same type. “Children should not learn about art, but be sensitised to art, not only to folk art, but to as many art forms as possible. So, it is important to show children that there are so many visual languages out there; and it can be so much fun. Indian folk art is one of those things, which are looked down upon as decorative and conventional. So, we thought it would be good to show that that is not the case,” he says.

'Dakiya -  The Mailman' is an animation film created using folk art
'Dakiya - The Mailman' is an animation film created using folk artGomantak Times

ABOUT THE ANIMATION FILMS

These five animations films are based on one of the books by A Ramachandran, which uses the style of Paithani painting. Another uses the technique of paper cuts, the third uses a combination of simple stencil-like shapes and bits of drawings. On the other hand, for Subramanyan’s stories, they have combined flat contours and gestural movements to create playful, yet expressive animations, similar to the traditional shadow puppetry.

When asked why they selected the stories and works of K G Subramanyan and A Ramachandran, Kumar says, “As artists, both Subramanyan and Ramachandran had pedagogic visions, similar to ours. They were interested in exposing children to the wide world of art and life. While the illustrations expose them to art, their stories touch upon issues like environment and empathy, or suggest that with empathy, we can find happiness in the small things of nature. But, they tell their stories playfully, without being pedantic or moralistic. Good things need not be boring or put offs.

Also, we made these films primarily for children of the 3 to 8 age groups. Both, Subramanyan and Ramachandran use styles that look simple. This might be deceptive, but they don’t look intimidating like highly realistic and complex technology-based representations. It gives children the feeling that such work is not beyond their reach, and gives them confidence to be creative. Finally, Ramchandran and Subramanya’s daughter, Uma, and publisher Naveen Kishore were happy to let us do it.”

The team of FIAE spent more than one year making these five animation films. For this, they received a grant from the Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation.

These animated films have been made with both English and Hindi voice-overs. They are also being sub-titled in other Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Konkani, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia and Assamese.

They like to show these films in as many schools as possible. “In India, art education for children is a neglected area. As educators, we would like it to be as an open source educational resource, used by teachers and parents, and we have already made it available for free on our YouTube channel,” says Kumar.

He further informs that they now plan to to integrate this and other animations into their art-in-school programme and art teachers’ workshops. “And, if we receive further funding, we certainly will do more such films and also move beyond animation. For instance, create age-appropriate art reproductions to be displayed in schools, so that children, even in remote villages, are not deprived of art and an opportunity to cultivate their artistic talent,” says Kumar.

The animation films are free for viewing on the YouTube channel ‘FIAE Goa

'The Bad King Who Became a Good King' is one of the animation films which aims to familiarise children with folk art
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