Big Players

Art teacher Rohit Sharma knows what to expect when his annual summer workshops begin at the India Habitat Centre. First to arrive are the fresh-faced children,then come the teenagers and then the assured steps of his senior students — men and women in their 40s who want to give a final shot to their dream of drawing and painting. Among them this year is Alka Bhrushundi,a mother of two college students,who has not missed a single lesson since the three-month-long workshop started on May 20. “I thought it would be fun to learn with children younger than my own. I do Tanjore paintings as a hobby and a short-term art workshop was what I needed to strengthen my skills. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and found that among the 30 students,half were between 25 and 40 years,” she laughs. Clearly,summer workshops aren’t for children only. Like Bhrushundi,many adults are jumping at the chance of polishing their skills in theatre,photography and even parenting.

Richa,a 26-year-old homemaker,was among the first to queue up for the three-day photography workshop conducted by Hitesh Gusani,technical head of 3D India,on Pandara Road last weekend. “I learnt the basics of photography at last year’s workshop so this year I am moving up the line. I learnt 3-D photography and panoramic photography where I captured moving clouds. Think about that!” she exclaims. When The Actor Factor Theatre Company’s 10-day workshop called First Act begins on June 4,instructor Shelli Koffman will keep a special eye on the older students — in their late twenties — who will go through the paces alongside tweens. “The workshop is quite popular with people who start theatre after college. Here’s where they learn the skills,” says Sunit Sinha,founder of Actor Factor.

“Many great artists like Abanindranath Tagore of the Bengal school,learnt art much later in life,” insists Sharma — and it’s something he constantly tells his senior students. Teaching adults,say instructors,comes with a special set of prerequisites. Sharma has restricted his classes to weekend afternoons when his students don’t have to go to work. Gusani keeps his workshops three-day affairs (the next one is in June). One of the reasons Richa was able to attend the photography class was that “it was held between 4 pm and 6 pm,when the afternoon chores were over and the evening activities hadn’t started”.

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The workshop that most parents make a beeline for is the Parent Training Module by Delhi-based counsellor Dr Sanjay Chugh. “Parents are interested in learning new ways to deal with their children,so there is a lot of demand,” says Namita Kith,counsellor with Dr Chugh. The module works on issues like communicating with children,disciplining tactics,value system and what to do when all is not well with the child.

The summer workshops,nonetheless,require extra dedication from adults. Bhrushundi,for instance,recalls that she recently had guests for lunch “and I used every guile in my book to organise things in such a way that I could escape for my class”. Balancing act,thankfully,doesn’t need a special workshop.

Photography Workshop:Rs 1,500 per person. Contact: 9324260320
First Act: Rs 6,000 per person. Contact: 98109 38191 (Delhi),98735 81424 (Gurgaon)
Parent Training Module: Rs 2,000 for each module.
Contact: 9811079401
Art workshop: Rs 3,500 per person. Contact: 9811037723