‘Narikotha’, a mega art workshop was organised at Bhawanipore Swimming Association to commemorate on International Women’s Day on March 8. The event was presented by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), South Kolkata, while ARCUS with the help of Saraswati Silpayan Art School, Barasat and Camlin had organised the event. The State Director of NYKS West Bengal, Shri Nabin Kumar Naik, also graced the event. Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Youth Affairs set up in 1972 with the objective of youth development by capacity building, skill development, creating opportunities for them and spreading awareness on socio-economic issues or ecological factors.
ARCUS is a group devoted to spreading awareness on societal issues through art and culture. Amitabha Banerjee, Piyali Mukherjee, Papiya Bhattacharya and Meenakshi Srivastav played key roles in organising the workshop.
Speaking about the initiative, Piyali Mukherjee said, “We aim to show how women are oppressed through our art.” “We have tried to bring out the complexities involved in the societal construct of women and also to find positivity in all human relations,” added Papiya Bhattacharya.
Portraying different gender roles in society, stereotypes affects psyche of girls and boys, role of youth in promoting gender equality, gender based violence like child marriage, trafficking, domestic violence, promoting awareness on HIV and AIDS – were the broad themes of the workshop on which students from Saraswati Silpayan Art School and as well as veteran artists like Sumita Biswas and Tuli Guha showcased their skills on the canvas.
Antara Charkroborty who works at the UNDP and is NYKS South Kolkata’s District Youth Officer said, “We aim to create a sense of awareness among children through this workshop and to celebrate womanhood. Children are most affected when it comes to gender based violence, be it child marriage or child molestation. It is necessary to start early so that when children share their thoughts with their mothers or relatives a sense of bonding develops and our society evolves.”
Biswajit Chakroborty from Saraswati Silpayan Art School shared, “We are trying to spread awareness on gender sensitive issues through our artwork and at the same time inspire students and motivate them to be artists.”
A seminar was also conducted by clinical psychologist and graphologist Susmita Saha after the workshop on the theme – ‘Recycle and Reuse’. Moreover, a poetry session on women and a workshop on kitchen gardening is scheduled on March 12 to celebrate womanhood.
