Geetha KH

Geetha KH is the Head Mistress at Government Lower Primary School, Yelagudige, Chikkamagalur Taluk, Chikkamagalur District and her experience in participating at the Block Level Event conducted by IFA at Muttodi this year is responsible for triggering this project. Being one of the most respected teachers in the region, she has engaged with the community at an individual level building rapport with families to ensure that children attend school regularly. While facing the challenges of caste politics in the village, Geetha tries her best to connect children and the community by conducting various events and providing school bags, uniforms, and books that attract children and ensures that they come to school. In the current project, she wants to engage her students with two art forms from the nomadic Banjara community - Kolata and Kasuti kale.

This project is a partnership between the community and the school. As Geetha herself comes from this community as does her students, she is aware of the various ways in which these two art forms can be used to learn Mathematics and Science subjects. She believes that this will help students to remember their lessons well. From this engagement Geetha feels that the students will attempt to learn the cultural aspects of their community’s arts practices by exploring aspects of aesthetics, material culture, identity, belonging, discrimination, self-expression, and legacy.

The outcome will be stage performances and an exhibition by the students. The deliverables of the grant would include photographs and 10 to 12-minute video documentation.  

This grant is made possible with support from Citi India.