Day 1 - Introductions and Origami

We started the workshop today at Sanskriti Kendra, Anandgram, Mehrauli, New Delhi. We have 10 wonderful children, 5 from Goa and 5 from New Delhi, who shall be staying at this beautiful campus till the 21st of October, 2011.

We began the day with introductions of the children and getting to know the campus. It has some lovely museums for textiles and everyday art. For most of these children, who do not get the opportunity to venture out of their homes and schools, it was like walking into a magicians palace. 

The 10 children with their support teachers from the respective schools and homes.

 We then came back to the conference hall, and gave our introductions and the art kits were distributed to the children.  

 All smiles, as it was like giving them a birthday gift, and they were all quick to brand their individual kits with their names.

We then introduced them to the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1000 Paper Cranes.

After listening to the story, they had mixed reactions, but one question that struck me the most was - Is the radiation still in the air? Is it still affecting people's lives? 

The answer was not the radiation cause due to the hiroshima bombings, but there are recent incidents of nuclear waste leaking into the air. We shall be touching upon this subject on Saturday - 15th of October.

Then the fun began, of teaching them the origami paper crane. At first it seemed tedious and tough, but once they got a hang of it, the group wanted to make a 1000 ! 

Then we had lunch, which was served in the amphitheater. Out in the open, the appetites increased, and vegetables which otherwise are not liked, we eaten ! 

Post Lunch, we took a break and started the afternoon with some relaxation and breathing exercises. Then, we had our lovely volunteer Andrea Pereira, get into teaching the group about nature thru a theatrical enactment of elements of nature. 

This revealed the actors in the group ! 

By tea, we had a new group of children from Udayan Care, New Delhi who joined us for an evening session, and we thought best to keep it as interactive amongst most groups as possible. So, the residential group taught the outsiders the anthem in the amphitheater, then the origami paper crane in the conference hall, and collectively learnt how to sketch different forms of a Crane. 

At the end of the day, they were all humming the anthem while completing their artworks. 

Its finally happening, and I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us in the endeavor, I can already see this to be a life changing experience for these privileged children. Shall keep you posted on all days !

HUM BACCHE EKK JAHAN KE !