Desert Safari was an idea fascinated us for many years. The invitation by a friend from Bhuj helped us in making the decision to take a trip from Delh to Bhuj via Rajasthan.
With our new 500 cc Bullet Kesaria, we started the journey in which first stop was Jhunjhunu where we painted in a govt school.
Like any other govt school, students were sparse in number. Not only that, because of the december month, most of the schools were conducting exams etc.
But we were lucky, one of the schools in the harijan colony of Narsinghpura welcomed us. thanks to the gandhi fellows who were working with these schools in last few years.
Khusi, one fellow who brought many kids from his village (where she was staying for a month as a community initiative) to the school where we were painting. Another fellow Agni motivated kids in his school to come to school on a cold sunday morning.
They were around 40 kids who wanted to paint and enjoy. The walls of the school had already many things written on it but the windows were painted fresh.
Meenakshi had a look at the walls and meanwhile jey asked kids for their ideas.
As always we banned the ideas of tiranga , flowers, houses and village scenes. (so that kids can use their imagination) Kids had a difficult time thinking what to say but then one guy said……Elephant…..then another said…..Donkey… and then it followed….goat, mango, apple, peacock, birds, watch, heart…..table….cap…..Spectacle….WOW……this was the first time when someone gave the idea to paint specs.
Meenakshi picked up two things Elephant and Specs but nobody knew that She will ask kids to use the windows in making these things. She had figured it out in her mind.
We made two groups of kids and explained them how to make the windows into specs and elephants without doing anything with the windows. They were surprised but felt happy.
Meenakshi did the outline of the elephant and specs and kids started filling the colors and asking what designs to make.
The small kids who couldn’t work on the walls started making their own paintings on papers…and other kids completed the big paintings on the wall.
Within few hours we managed to finish the walls..and believe me..it looked really stunning.
for the first time we used the window to make a wall art and it came out perfectly in the form of Elephant and Specs.
