The Malenadu Educational and Rural Development Society

Principal Investigator: LM Hegde

With the implementation of arts education in schools as envisaged by the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005, IFA’s attempt has been to raise the standard of arts education and support it through multiple strategies like grants, trainings and exposures. In addition to grant to teachers and artists, our decision to make grants to schools came from the realisations that this would provide opportunities for the entire school to integrate their arts education programme, bring the various stakeholders together, and connect local arts and cultural practices and community knowledge systems to classroom pedagogies. This would build a knowledge-network between the school and the environment in which it exists.

This pilot grant has been made to Chandana English Medium School run by The Malenadu Educational and Rural Development Society, Narebailu, Uttara Kannada district. This grant will enable year-long activities with the school as the anchor, bringing together artists, the community and other civic groups to establish and enhance arts education for students. The school is nestled in the midst of nature in Narebailu a village near Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district. Students come by the school bus every day from Yellapur, Sirsi, Mundagodu, Siddapura, and Soraba taluks and have a mix of urban and rural backgrounds. The school believes in child-centred teaching and storytelling, puppetry, games and music are often used.

Halakki Vokkaligas are among the prominent tribes of the state and often considered the original residents. Halakki is a combination of two words in Kannada haalu meaning milk, and akki meaning rice. Vokkalu means agriculturist. So Halakki Vokkaligas are people who grow ‘milky white rice’. The tribe has a rich lineage of cultural practices notably music. Having survived over the centuries bearing the tradition of their ancestors, the older generation, especially its womenfolk, is now wondering how to continue their legacy.

The year-long project at the school titled Halliya Vividha Mukhagalu (Different Faces of the Village) aims to bring together the Halakki community and the school. The aim of the project is to understand the relationships between the school and the community and how to leverage these to enhance student learning. The project has both bonding and bridging functions and seeks to create stronger ties between the students, the school and community members. The whole project will be centred around a community elder and custodian of community knowledge - Sukri Bommanagowda. Sukri ajji (grandmother) as she is fondly called is a well-known name across Karnataka. An octogenarian, Sukri is a leader of the community and is a treasure trove of songs and stories of the Halakkis. Her music has taken her across the country. She knows about 4,000 songs which were composed for various occasions. Even today, at the age of 84, she composes new songs. Through this project, students and teachers will be immersed in the world of Sukri ajji. Teachers will be encouraged to become participant learners and later evolve as facilitators so that they can continue with the processes learnt even after the grant period.

This project will focus on learning through Sukri ajji and the community members the various cultural and traditional practices of the Halakkis. Activities for the students will involve observing and recording, journaling, discussions, lectures, field trips, interviews, and reading about the Halakki community. Indigenous knowledge about medicinal uses of local plants will also be studied. Alongside these activities, the school will also organise training and workshops for teachers and students with scholars, writers and community members. They will invite artists and scholars to create a platform for dialogue between students, teachers and parents. With all these, the project aims to connect learning within and outside the school; culture at school and culture at home; and the home to the world outside.  

The outcomes from this project will be a series of exhibitions and performances, and a publication of creative writings by the students. The deliverables from the grant would include a copy of the publication and still and video documentation of the entire project. The budget is commensurate with the activities.

This grant is made possible with support from Citi India.