Date:05/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/05/stories/2009010557250200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Consulate wall gives room for children’s creativity

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: S.Thanthoni

BRUSH WITH ART: Children paint their hopes and dreams on the outer wall of the U.S. Consulate building in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: At the U.S. Consulate building on Anna Salai, what was earlier a plain white outer wall, has now transformed into a work of art, thanks to art director Thotta Tharani and the 30 children brought together by the non-governmental organisation NalandaWay Foundation. The children added colours to a mural outlined earlier by Mr.Tharani here on Sunday morning.

“The mural project was part of the “Art, Arattai, Aarpattam” festival we hosted in November and meant to give underprivileged children an opportunity to have a brush with art,” said Sriram V.Ayer, one of the founder members of NalandaWay.

Mr.Ayer pointed to the smiling faces of the participating children and said that though they had all had a disturbed past, the experience of art had brought them happiness. All these children had been rescued from trafficking, child labour and bonded labour, he said. “We teach them art they can relate to and this is useful even for behaviour modification,” he said. The mural is 115 feet long and 4 feet wide and set against a backdrop of famous American and Indian landmarks. Images of the Statue of Liberty, a school and the Indian flag are portrayed in the mural. “These images portray the experiences, hopes and dreams of these children,” Mr.Ayer said.

US Consul General in south India Andrew Simkin who was present at the event said he was thrilled to be a part of the project. “It is for the first time that the US Consulate office anywhere has displayed a wall graffiti done by children,” he said.

Ragini Gupta, US Consul for Cultural Affairs, said this was a gesture to promote Indo-US friendship. She said it was an effort to help the children have their legacy carved here. The names of all the children who painted the mural have been etched on the wall.

Bhuvaneshwari and Ennarasu, who were among the children who painted the mural, said they thoroughly enjoyed the experience of painting. Ennarasu who drew trees and filled them with colour said he loved nature and wanted to continue painting in future.