Creative walls with a soul

The Creative Corner at Velammal Knowledge Park showcases the creativity of the students and the history of a great educational institution

A wall that relives the creative oeuvre of Raja Ravi Varma. ‘Woman in Red’, ‘Radha in the Moonlight’, ‘Lady with Fruit Platter’… and even the artist himself in his royal costume. However, what makes the difference is that these are all the photographs of young students in those costumes, as they transformed into the Ravi Varma characters themselves.
The artistic wall at the ‘Creative Corner’ of Velammal Knowledge Park (VKP), at Ponneri in Chennai reflects a new direction in the creative experiments for the students to bring them closer to the world of Indian art.

The idea of such a creative intervention sprouted when the schools in India were forced to embrace online platform following the Covid-19 lockdown, according to the brains behind the project. In one such programme organised by Chitravathi Centre for Creativity (CCC), the expert team comprising professionals that handles the creative projects including the Art Integrated Learning (AIL) at VKP, they gave the task, ‘Re-create/Re-Visit a work of Raja Ravi Varma - a modern Indian master painter’, which was aimed at igniting their creative outlook towards the works of the master painter.



This unique task was given as part of an art session, ‘Reading Ravi Varma’s paintings’ by art historian Santhosh Kumar Sakhinala, in which around 300 students took part.
Of course, it cannot be claimed that all these works on display are outstanding. But they reflect the spark of creativity and some creations are exceptional. However, some more mentoring and guidance to the students could bring out more creative works from them and this could be seen as the first step in that direction. Also, the way these works have been displayed along with the prints of the original works underscores the curatorial process behind it. This wall takes us to the creative world of a legendary artist.
According to Mr. M.V.M. Sasi Kumar, Director, Velammal Educational Trust, creative mind brings positivity, as is seen here.
“Reading Ravi Varma’s paintings’ is a well-designed activity that presented the painter’s inspiration, the modernity, and the use of mediums. Reading his paintings through the language of an artist enlightened all the viewers to see the beauty of the paintings from a newer perspective,” according to him.

“When we gave them such a task to keep our art education lively even during the lockdown due to the pandemic, we never expected it would have such a response and this shows that the artistic talent within the young generation is immense,” said eminent artist Mr. Murali Cheeroth, creative director of the Velammal Group. He observed that every household is an art school. But we have to discover it and bring to the fore through such initiatives, which would also change the perception of the society about art and ‘mindful learning’ in our society. The ‘Creative Corner’ reflects the vision of the institution that thinks beyond the world of text books.

There is a different pedagogical premise here and that gives life to these walls. It would evolve into an art establishment in the near future, according to Cheeroth.
The works on display in this new facility, which is built in an eco-friendly manner, also captures the history of Velammal Group, which had a humble beginning with just 186 students and 13 teachers, at Mugappair, Chennai in 1986, under a thatched roof.

The ‘Creative Corner’ is not just an independent physical space but it is the mirror of a philosophy where walls become the windows to the world. It is the wall with a soul, which plays an important role in shaping the visions of the students.
Yes, this is a beginning and it has a long way to go for sure. In the coming days, more such works would adorn these walls and one day some of these kids would have their place in the list of the ‘Who is who’ of contemporary Indian art.