The beating of drums, blowing of the flute and jingling of the tambourine was the ideal way to arouse  curiosity. The children of Born Free Art School showcased novelty in more than one way at an exhibition held recently.

While music (played by them) got people to come in, their artistic ability left the visitors awestruck.

Terracotta panels, based on the tales of Panchatantra, was given a new dimension through their creativity.

Taking off from the stories, Born Free children dabbled with the artwork, of course with a lot of help from John Devaraj, whom they affectionately call their ‘father’. “Art is probably the best way not just to get the children off the streets and place them well but to ensure that they stay and live a life that will be towards betterment. And those living on City streets are obviously very street smart as it requires a lot of skill to survive. From begging to stealing to escape being caught, these kids require some amount of art and intelligence. And it comes to them quite naturally. All you have to do is give them the space to experiment,” says John Devaraj.

Panchatantra, he says, is  India’s ambassador in story-telling. Having been passed on through word of mouth for several generations, the tales found a new set of young readers when they were translated into books. But as time changes, an old tale needs to be retold. And in a way that it can hold good for readers of this generation.

That’s been the effort of John with Panchatantra Panels. In short — Panpan. He hasn’t attempted to entirely change the content of the age-old traditions. By bringing in slight modifications, he says he’s trying to send out a message to children through the stories. “The message is about life, its lessons, the importance of protecting our environment and the like. It is difficult for children of today to comprehend why the princess marries a snake or how the monkey and the crocodile are friends in the tales. It definitely was relevant or rather comprehensible to the people of the time it was created. So my aim is to retain that value but add something more to it.”

What appears different is that John has got away with references to caste and religion that was a predominant set up in most stories, making the character more global. Some tales have been modified slightly to bring in a moral value. “Almost every child at Born free Art School had never heard of Panchatantra before we introduced it to them. So at times, we read it to them or narrated the tales. A lot of questions were asked and then we realised that their level of curiosity is high,” shares John.

The terracotta panels along with the calendar that has the tales and the panels printed on them are available for purchase. According to John, they make for a good gifting option and can be personalised or customised for a particular occasion. The proceeds from the sale of any of the Panpan items will be equally distributed among the children, the school and those involved in creating the work. For details, call 9886306366.