CHANDIGARH, June 4: It is a summer school with a difference and it is certainly making a difference in the lives of the participants. This is the programme jointly conducted by Roop Kala Manch, PU's Department of Indian Theatre and a local troupe _ Theatre Age _ for students of Kumhar and Janata Colony in the city's Sector 25.Summer schools are nothing new for the city but they're unheard of in the labour class corners of the town. "We've got some 80 youngsters, divided into juniors and seniors," Sangeeta Gupta of Roopa Kala Manch explains. "The programme is for 23 days and centres around theatre. The older students are preparing a political satire called Bakri which is about cynical politicians using the slums to serve their purposes. The younger students will enact a story from the Panchtantra. Both productions have lots of songs and dances woven in."The budget is strictly shoestring. Lok Shakti president Manjit Sandhu donated Rs 2,100 at the summer school's opening ceremony on Wednesday and that is the entire bankroll for the whole three-week effort. It basically buys refreshments for the children. The teachers are offering their services absolutely free and no fee has been charged from the participants. The UT Education Department has made the classrooms of the Sector 25 Government School available for the classes.Watching the kids go through acting drills, it's obvious that growing up in a slum does not make a child stupid or untalented. It's another matter that they rarely get a chance to hone their skills or display their talent.In the process of teaching dramatic skills, the workshop also hammers away at the importance of personal hygiene and clean surroundings, good manners and healthy habits.Eight-year-old Manisha is having the time of her life _ expressing her delight mainly in a constant outpouring of songs. It's not easy getting her to stand still and comment on the proceeding but when really pressed to comment she bubbles: "Bahut maza aata hai!" and this is what all the youngsters have to say.The seven young teachers also seem to be enjoying themselves and describe their students as "responsive and quick to learn".This summer school boasts no cute name but it's amply stocked with imagination and youthful energy _ and best of all, it's reaching out to those students who would otherwise never have a chance to experience the maza of a school that's pure frolic.
