Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.”  John Lubbok

Since Art is not always about pretty things. It’s about who we are, what happened to us, and how our lives are affected that art has become an indispensable part of education and with Art Integration and art workshops supplementing pedagogic acquisition, learning has reached new heights and traverses along the uncharted ways with a fresh outlook.

The impressions and feelings of the Heads of Apeejay Institute reveals the place this event has in our hearts and further takes us on a historical journey of the Anand Art Workshop and brings us to the latest workshop with the theme, “How Has My Life Changed in the Past two years”.

Apeejay Schools CEO, Mr. Kiranjit Singh Pannu puts his thoughts in these words –

 The Apeejay Schools, that have been leaders in quality education for the past 47 years have organised the Anand Art Workshop, physically since 1992 for the students to reinvent themselves with free creative will and to explore.   The event was conducted in a hybrid manner – both online and offline – adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols, last year.

From the historical perspective, The Anand Art Workshop was started on the 26th February 1992, by Ms Priti Paul who created the Apeejay Anand Children’s library for the children at the Apeejay School, Park Street, Kolkata. Subsequently the library has been commenced at Apeejay School, Salt Lake and many more locations all across the country. The event is a platform for the kids to express their innovative talents and collaboratively engage in life changing experience. Children both from mainstream K-12 educational institutions and NGOs are invited to this visual and spatial intelligence inspired art extravaganza that is conceptualized on 21st century relevant themes.

As the Apeejay Anand Children’s Library expands its footprint across India, the Art Workshop has grown too and reached the shores of other countries such as Nepal and Pakistan. The workshop instils camaraderie, community welfare, education for making a difference and empathy as life changing skills amongst the children and staff.

This year the workshop would be conducted physically at the sprawling campuses of Apeejay School, Haldia, Apeejay School, Bhubaneswar, Apeejay School, Salt Lake and Apeejay House lawns. The event is also going International this year with the ONLINE workshop being attended by students from the Schools and NGOs all across India as well as abroad. Education with a Difference is always the aim for Apeejay Schools. Wishing the Students and staff a grand success as always.

Ms. Anindita Banerjee, Principal, Apeejay School, Salt Lake expresses her feelings in vivid terms.  Conceptualized as a visually exciting and happy space that draws kids to Apeejay Anand Children’s’ Library it has emerged as a stimulating learning station.

This Library takes the initiative to hold the Art Workshop every year since 1992, commemorating the birth Anniversary of Anand Paul, who left us untimely in the year 1989. Children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds burst into a fiesta of colours at the workshop. It is, she says, a progressive attempt to bridge the gap that exists in our society.

This year, the workshop has spread its wings and reached out to children across India. In this pandemic time, it is a platform, where the children get an opportunity to showcase their talents, to express themselves in a positive and creative way and build confidence through this imaginative exercise. It is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.

In the words of Ms. Mousumi Gupta, Principal of Haldia, Apeejay School, the pursuit of excellence is endless. She quotes an eminent educationist, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”.  All round growth and progress of a child takes place only in an environment that is influenced by the opportunities provided to them to hone their creative potentials through various activities and events.

To contribute substantially to the holistic development of each scholar, Apeejay School with all its staffs and students is organizing a creative conclave, Anand Art Workshop in loving memory of late Anand Paul.  Children from various socio-economic backgrounds will share their view-points on their journey of past two difficult years through lines and colours on canvas on the 26^th of February Saturday. This would be a tribute to the extraordinary achievement of the tender minds who struggled through the unprecedented difficulties of pandemic years and emerged as stronger and more skilled individuals.

The exceptionally compassionate management and staff of Apeejay School, hand in hand with the parents did an exemplary job not only in pulling thousands of children through this difficult times but turning every obstacle into a golden opportunity to make the children’s life easier, better and brighter.

Let the beauty and vibrancy of colours take away all bitter memories, all thoughts of formal creeds and unite all children and bring them back to the normal flow of life and help them to enter into a new era of learning and living.

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection” – Michelangelo.

Extolling the initiative behind the Anand Art Workshop, Ms. Sharmilee Bandyopadhyay, Principal, Apeejay School, Bhubaneswar commented that this initiative of the Apeejay Anand Children’s Library comes at a wonderful juncture when the uncertain times have almost halted the normalcy and the joyful phase as children return back to school after a period of two years in the pandemic. 

The theme for this year being “Sakaratmak Parivartan” – “How has my life changed?”. What better creative as well as cathartic outlet for the children experiencing the unprecedented times with all their courage and vitality and the necessary healing that art provides through colorful and joyful activities. The workshop is an attempt to infuse good cheer and bonhomie in all the participants from myriad backgrounds.    

Apeejay School, Bhubaneswar like its other branches is organizing this workshop in both online and offline mode having participants from schools in Odisha and different parts of India as well as children studying under various NGOs. Children across all age groups will have a unique opportunity to practically witness, interact and participate in the session conducted by renowned art critic Dr. Alakendra C Sahoo. We hope the children will find a relief from the stress and the toil and shall be able to delve deep into their reserve of creativity and find an expression that is pure, simple and refreshing. We hope the children will find a relief from the stress and the toil and shall be able to delve deep into their reserve of creativity and find an expression that is pure, simple and refreshing.

The Art Workshop has now evolved into a model platform, reaching the present stature through decades of transformations. Amid Pandemic it has proved to be an exemplary platform for students to explore their latent potentials. It has transcended to become a symbol of celebration of inclusivity and acceptance of the concept of differentness in all. The Workshop affords students an opportunity to paint the rainbow of their joy and freedom breaking all boundaries to realize their inner potential.

To cap it all, Principal, Ms. Paromita Guha Ray, Apeejay School, Park Street speaks about the Anand Art Workshop as a meeting ground for the regular, differently abled, economically challenged children from all walks of life. This is like a magic cauldron where all nature of talents, multifarious views and unique vision mix to form a riot of dynamic colours representing the young India. We interact and learn, share and learn, care and learn and the Workshop centers facilitate all of these exchanges and in turn help growth. She looks back and opines that Anand Art Workshop has come a long way from the days of its beginning to become today a manifestation of togetherness in a spirit of creative and imaginative expression of the self.

“Creating artwork allows your mind to be in a safe place while it contemplates the tougher issues you are dealing with. One can use the tools of brush, paint, pastels, crayons etc to expose and even for a short time color those issues in a different light.” 

This adage of George E. Miller aptly highlights the importance of the theme in the year 2022, “How Has My Life Changed in the Past two years” the event proper on 26th February 2022 will say the rest .