Keeping the ears open to the sounds of Nature!
This workshop was conducted in collaboration with Keystone Foundation. We were hosted by Paschim Banga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samity (PBKSKS) at their office in Deorang (Rajnoagarh), Purulia. The participants were a group of 42 children of the Kheria-Sabar community, a sect of the Munda Adivasi people. We used birdwatching, illustrations and puppetry as our tools to conduct the sessions. And the children participated wholeheartedly and with unending enthusiasm.
“Nature is our biggest ally and greatest inspiration.” – Sir David Attenborough
These children grow up enveloped by Nature! They are connected to a deep pool of traditional knowledge. Yet, they are currently more isolated from their rich tradition of folk stories and songs due to the changing socio-cultural landscape.
A live painting of, painting the living!
A live painting of, painting the living!
The workshop was the first step towards addressing these gaps through storytelling. We hope this will empower them to become active stakeholders who can address their own environmental challenges in the future.
From the listening activity in the Nature walk to illustration sessions outdoors and storytelling and puppetry indoors, throughout the three days across all sessions, the children went beyond our planned duration to gain as much as possible from this experience.
Play your role in the classroom without walls!
The workshop ended with a fantastic exhibition of the artwork created by the children, including paintings and puppets. The children also performed a play based on Sabar folktale connected with nature. It was slightly recontextualized to include a modern day environmental issue. The children also used puppets to talk about the behaviours of birds in both Bengali and Sabar languages. Finally, there was a celebratory music and dance session which mesmerized us. This workshop has been a particular highlight for us in our journey in spreading awareness about nature to children. We are waiting with bated breath for the next 3-Day workshop
A celebration of colours, music and motion!
