Architecture students create walls of joy

The walls of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat (DK ZP) Government Higher Primary School in Valachil on the city's outskirts have come alive owing to the efforts of an enthusiastic group of students and their lecturers from Srinivas Institute of Technology (SIT) in Valachil.

"The thought of creating beautiful artwork on drab walls and doing something good to the community had struck us when we had stepped into the school premises," said Dr Janardana Rao Havanje, who is serving as an artist and assistant professor at Srinivas School of Architecture (SSA), SIT.

Dr Havanje said that SIT principal Dr Srinivas Mayya and head of the department of architecture, Vasudev Shet, backed the idea of local institutions contributing to local development.

To achieve the goal, the staff of SSA, including Havanje, assistant professor Shravya Hegde and 40 students launched 'Coterie'.

Havanje says before painting the walls, teachers and students were encouraged to reveal the kind of pictures they like to see on the walls of their school.

Coterie, after compiling the suggestions, painted thought-provoking pictures on topics of global warming to the ill effects of tobacco consumption. The walls also have diagrams related to school subjects and favourite cartoon characters, said Havanje.

Around 35 artworks on the outer walls are about the environment and other subjects. Pictures on the water cycle, solar system and aquatic life, functioning of the heart, among others, grab the attention of onlookers with their unique style.

The highlight of these paintings is that they are not drawn in a conventional style, but, in the form of cartoons, in order to appeal to students. The walls with bright colours, besides enhancing the beauty of the school, also make the process of learning fun for students, adds Havanje.

The paintings have also blocked out ugly scribbling on the walls of the school.

"The interior walls of the classrooms were also painted and local entrepreneurs came forward to sponsor the paint," Havanje recollected with gratitude.

The children in the primary school were highly inspired after seeing the Coterie members at work and had expressed eagerness to paint walls.

Havanje recollected that after completing the painting on the second day, many children in choked voices kept enquiring on whether they would visit the school again.

Janardana says Coterie members also had food with the children. A strong bond had developed between Coterie and school children in two days.

To cherish this bonding, the hand impression of school children was also created on the walls by dipping their tiny hands in colours.

Febin Sajan, who is currently in the third semester of SSA, told DH that the Coterie event had inspired him and his friends to take up more community work in future.

School's walls now a 'selfie point'

Valachil Government Primary School headteacher Molly Gracy Vas said that there were 70 students studying in the school.

"The beautiful drawings have inspired children to take a keen interest in their subjects. When parents of students visit the school, they take selfies with the painted artworks in the background," she said.

The popularity of the school has increased and the total strength of the school is likely to increase from the next academic year, she said and added that the Coterie team's work is an inspiration to others working for the cause of society.