At a tribal settlement in Perumpara Colony in Malakkappara, a hilly area on the Kerala-Tamil border, a few children sit down to paint. They have simply obtained a recent stash of art supplies — paints together with acrylic, watercolour, oil, charcoal, crayons — paper and brushes. They are at an art camp, organised by Priya Shibu, an art teacher from Thrissur.
It just isn’t typically that tribal children have entry to a mainstream summer camps; their holidays are sometimes spent working. Many of them, who belong to the Kadar tribe, accompany their dad and mom who enter the deep forests in search of honey, or they work in the tea plantations. “The children don’t have the luxury to enjoy their summer vacations,” says Priya, who felt she may organise an art camp for them which might allow them to play freely with paint and create one thing out of their very own creativeness.
Priya, who was instructing at the Government Model Residential School for boys at Wadakkanchery, had a few college students from Malakkappara with whom she developed a deep bond. She inspired these children to discover their internal emotions and specific it by way of art. “Most of these children are incredibly talented. Their art has an honesty that is rare,” she provides.
Priya Shibu with the children at the art camp
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Special Arrangement
Even after she left the college to be part of P Bhaskaran Memorial Higher Secondary School in Kodungallur, Priya stored in contact together with her former college students. She procured permission from the Scheduled Tribes Development Department to conduct the camp in April and she or he went with a small group of seven folks — her husband, two daughters, a relative, a good friend and a pupil.
The two-day camp, says Priya, was an unforgettable expertise. While her former college students have been overjoyed to work together with her, they ensured they introduced alongside their pals to the camp. “We even had a child as young as four years,” she provides. The children would typically carry their pet canine and goats too, who would faithfully grasp round. In the evenings, their dad and mom joined, too, regaling them with tales and experiences of life in the forest.
A portray of a tribal village by one of the members
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Special Arrangement
In addition to their particular person canvases, the children, guided by Priya, painted the partitions of an aged girl’s home, who was solely too glad to be a half of the camp. The children painted what they wished to, which principally comprised the sights they’re used to in the forest. Their temple festivals, the honey gatherers, the tea leaf pickers, the forest itself and the animals and birds, featured in the works. “For instance, Bruno, Subramanyan and Tikku, their dogs were in the paintings they drew, so was the hornbill, which is commonly seen in these forests,” provides Priya.
A portray by one of the members
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Special Arrangment
In the two days they spent with the tribal group, they shaped lasting friendships, says Priya. “The villagers would bring us little gifts such as a string of jasmine flowers, or something to eat. One day, there was a power outage and we were surrounded by swarms of fireflies that seemed to have descended from the heavens; it is an experience I would always cherish,” says Priya. Twenty-six children attended the camp.
The portray of a hornbill by one of the members
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Special Arrangement
Priya has been working with tribal children to assist them channel their energies by way of art. While instructing at MRS, she inspired them to paint a library and the college partitions. She even took the children to Kochi in 2023 to paint a mural at the Kashi Hallegua House at Jew Town. “Art, with its therapeutic qualities, is a great way to help these children cope with their situation. It would help them keep off alcohol and drugs, common among tribal youth,” says Priya.
She runs a gallery, Pura, at her house at Mankuttipadam Village, in Kodali, close to Chalakkudy city. The 30 work of the children could be framed and put up for a present at Pura. “I asked the children to suggest a name for the camp and they wanted to call it ‘Adavi’. The word means forest in their language.”
Published – May 23, 2025 12:32 pm IST
