Work Sops

The Seagull Foundation for the Arts has lined up a series of interesting workshops that include photography,clay animation,graphic novel development and radio jockeying. “Unlike high school students even a decade back,who went to a workshop only to pursue some sort of a hobby or a passion,youngsters today would only take up something that gives them a professional edge,” says Ceiloni Sengupta,teacher at the Future Foundation School. Agrees Ruchi Saria,marketing head of Kriya,a media solutions providing company which has come up with a slew of workshops for teenagers and young adults this summer. “Today every teenager wants to do things that have some practical implication and they are willing to pay for it. They would also want to take up something which helps them discover their strengths and later assist them in making sensible career choices ,” says Saria. No wonder,Kriya’s line-up includes filmmaking,photography,microwave cooking,hair styling,theatre etc.

Conductors too are all geared to up to treat their students to the choicest tricks of their trade. Chhatrapati Dutta,coordinator of the clay animation workshop to be organised by the Seagull Foundation for the Arts says that after the 5-day workshop,the participants will have a ‘claymation video’ to their credit. “It’s a fun exercise. At the same time you get to learn a fair bit of animation technology. Add to that – the process of making clay models,shooting stills,putting them in the software to make the video – teaches the kids to be patient,very patient in fact,” says Dutta who is primarily looking at the 14-18 years age group. Rimi B Chatterjee,professor at the Jadavpur University English department,promises to help you sharpen your doodling skills into the finesse of a graphic novelist’s. “I intend to help them develop an idea into a story – which will then be told through pictures. At the end of the day,they have their own graphic short story,” says Chatterjee,who is working on her first graphic novel.

While the filmmaking workshop by Kriya taught students to develop scripts,story development,character development,acting,sound editing,camera,shot division etc the microwave cooking workshop will help them try easy recipes,and introduce to the concept of cooking. “Most of these kids would take entrance exams and move out of home in a few years. It always helps to know a fair bit of cooking then,” says Saria.

The hair styling and make up workshop,to be conducted by Bridgette Jones,will prevent young girls from turning out to be fashion and make-up disasters. “Let’s face it. Most teenagers suffer from skin problems and resort to word-of-mouth cures. Then again,this workshop teaches them not to go overboard when it comes to hair styling,make up etc,” adds Saria.

Thirteen-year-old Aman Chirimar,a student of Don Bosco Park Circus,is a self proclaimed film buff. No wonder he wanted to get deeper into the tricks of filmmaking. “I enrolled into the short filmmaking workshop by Kriya because I wanted to know how a film is made. I even want to pursue a career in filmmaking someday,” says Chirimar. He doesn’t have to look too far it seems