Art dumped in sacks

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Last December, more than 30 students in Cotton Hill GHSS were gifted a day to remember all their lives. Their efforts with the paint and brush were beautifully framed and displayed at the Museum auditorium when the school hosted a ‘Varnotsavam’ as part of its 75th birthday.  But the moment of glory quickly passed. More than 100 paintings, drawn by the students and which were displayed at the ‘Varnotsavam’ then, have now been bundled inside sacks and rest peacefully in a corner in one of the dark rooms in the school. Soon after the exhibition, these paintings had found a hall in the school where they were elegantly lined up on the  walls. However, in a matter of time, the hall was used for other purposes and the temporary gallery moved out to the storeroom.The school is the only one from the city to make to the top three of the Educational Reality Show ‘Harita Vidyalayam’. An art gallery showcasing students’ paintings was one achievement the school had highlighted in the show. But it seems to have come to nothing. "We have no room to spare for setting up the art gallery. It is one of the oldest schools; naturally, the buildings are more older. We have requested the City Corporation to allow us a few new buildings,’’ said Mary Zislet, Headmistress of the school. It was art teacher Manorama who had coordinated the ‘Varnotsavam’ show. When asked, she said that the students and teachers were all for setting up an art gallery. Many students still keep asking when their paintings would be put up again, she said. ‘’Even parents come asking if they could see the framed  paintings of their wards, but since we have no facility to showcase the paintings, the students and parents are disappointed,’’ Manorama Teacher said.  The school being one of the biggest in the city, unlike other schools, one art teacher has to teach students of three classes in one period. Which leaves them with very little time to spend on one class. ‘’Had we got one big gallery, we could have clubbed the classes in painting which would have benefited the students, ‘’ she said. With no gallery space, the teachers have now wrapped the frames in sacks and kept them in the storeroom. It remains to be seen if the authorities, including the Corporation and SSA, would come up with a solution to see that the students’ creative sparks are encouraged and displayed with due importance.