The lockdown inspired the creative spirit in many people. For D. Beneetta Varghese, it marked a return to nature.
Cooped up at home, this class 10 student of St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Kallody, Wayanad, turned her attention to making toys from indigenous materials. Her efforts saw her win the first prize in toy-making using indigenous materials at the national Kala Utsav organised by the Union Ministry of Education.
Beneetta made nearly 40 toys using locally available raw material such as bamboo; the leaves, midriff and broad base of coconut palm fronds and young nut (machinga); areca palm; plantain stem: and so on during the two days of the national competition.
Her interest in crafts and making toys for her young cousins was what led her to take up toy-making in earnest during the lockdown. Photos posted on WhatsApp status resulted in encouraging phone calls from teachers and the school head teacher. It was then that she heard of the Kala Utsav and decided to take part in it. Block resource centre, district, and State-level competitions followed, and then it was time for the national event. Beneeta who could not use bamboo in the earlier rounds owing to limited time found two days enough to use her knife.
Other winners
C.S. Anand, a Plus One student of Government Higher Secondary School, Kongorpilly, Ernakulam, won the first prize in classical dance (boys) and Akshaya Shameer, a Plus One student at Government Higher Secondary School, Azhikode, Kannur, won the first position in painting (watercolour) in the Kala Utsav.
Two students also bagged the third prize at the national level — S. Gopikrishnan, a class 12 student of St. Michael’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Burnassery, Kannur, in classical music vocal (boys), and Amritha V.K. of Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thalassery, in vocal music traditional folk (girls).
Eighteen students from public schools represented the State in the national event. Arrangements were made for live telecast of the competition and interactions with the participants in Kozhikode.
Online event
The State-level rounds were organised online by the Samagra Shiksha, Kerala, adhering to the COVID-19 protocols. Competitions were held in all block resource centres by recording the performances of the students.
