Going Beyond the Surface

The story of the ugly duckling is used by the Mythri children as a parable for not only personal transformation but accepting ourselves and others the way we are. Watch them perform!

Together... we can!

Once upon a time, a flock of birds settled around a pond for a drink of water. Seeing them, hunters cast their net and trapped them. First flustered and daunted, the birds realised that they had a common problem and could together, be part of the solution. They lifted their wings and lifted the net off the ground with them. By working together, they were able to fly together towards freedom and safety!

Dance students from Mythri Centre for the Arts chose, choreographed and performed this story for us last week. 

A Steely but Melodious Resolve for Change!

The music students at the Mythri Centre for the Arts perform Bharatiar's 'Manathil Uruthi Vendum' for us. Watch them for inspiration!

Powering Through Change: The Mythri Journey

This is a campaign where our emphasis has been on processes over events. The children at the Mythri Centre for Arts along with our GEM Nanditha Prabhu, have been working hard to understand and articulate what inclusiveness, equality, safety and change mean to them all through this campaign. 

The exploration of these themes was through the idea that each of us has many powers. The 5 powers we chose to concentrate on were:

• To be oneself
• To exercise choice
• To make a difference
• To help others
• To imagine (and turn into reality) a better world

We decided collectively that it was not the  performance at the end that was the goal. It was more important for us to document the process and be present when these questions were being raised and talked abut. It has been a process of discovery for everyone involved.

We were blown away by the enthusiasm with which the children engaged with the topic and made it their own. Even when offered a ready-made script they chose to work on their own interpretations and ideas. Here are some pictures from the various rehearsals, discussion groups and practice sessions that the kids initiated.

A session on Personal Safety by Ms.Geetha

Art Work on Making a Difference by the Mythri Kids

A Message From Nanditha

Mythri is happy to be part of this campaign, and I am sure that this campaign will put a seed of change in many young hearts. I can already see kids showing lots of energy. Even before the campaign dates we tried to introduce the kids to this topic of recognizing the power within. Some of the older kids themselves have come up with ideas.Just wanted to share with you what happened at Mythri during our last session. One child read out the poem "Still I rise" and did some research on Maya Angelou. Kids were just given the topic of all the 5 powers and they themselves did a dramatic presentation. It was very nice, as they did it without any help.We have asked them to also write on this... poems or articles so that it can get them thinking. I felt it was a better way than we telling them what to do. We are also keeping a painting drawing session on 29th Nov on"the power to make this world a better place". Will update on that too. I feel every small act can take us one step closer to our vision :)

Meet Our GEMS: Nanditha Prabhu

A Safer Future For Our Children

by Meera Srikant

Having been initiated into the realm of performing arts at a very tender age, Nanditha,  daughter of Kalaratna Kalamandalam Sugandhi, completed PG Diploma in Arts Management from the Madras Craft Foundation Institute of Arts Management. Recipient of senior scholarship and junior fellowship in Mohiniyattam from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, she is a founding partner of "Mythri": centre for arts”, which caters to the overall development of children through fine arts. She is a TEDx speaker. At present she is pursuing her research at Sastra University, Thanjavur in dance under the guidance of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyum. She shares with Prajnya the need to create awareness a safe society for children.

Why is this issue important to you?

To create a safe, peaceful community and to lead a harmonious life is a right of every individual. Initiatives such as these inspire responsible citizens to think and do their part in building such communities.

What is it you feel most strongly about?

I mainly work with children and I strongly believe that it is the responsibility of adults to provide a safe haven for them to bloom fully.  A necessity to boost the self-esteem among youngsters today, I think is the need of the hour.

Tell us about your activity and what you hope to do with it.

I along with my partner Martha run a centre for arts, “Mythri”.  The centre offers various classes in dance, music, painting and martial arts. As part of the 16 days campaign activity we are trying the kindle in the kids thoughts of various powers hidden in each of us, through the medium of arts.

• The power to be oneself
• The power to choose
• The power to make a difference
• The power to help others
• The power to make a better world

Three things you would suggest to keep these individual actions going?

A small act can make a big difference in the long run, so be part of a small act. Keep doing what you believe in, as the process is more important than the end result. In the case of our centre Mythri, I feel it’s our responsibility to inspire the young minds who are ready to be moulded. Our actions will go on with each class, each interaction, each workshop, each new dance, music, painting.