Siddayya Kallayya Mathapati

The Foundation Project implemented by IFA will engage 37 students of fifth and sixth grades of the Government Model Kannada Boys School, Hulkoti, in Gadag taluk, Gadag district. Titled Mudranakashi Namma Gadag, this 15-month initiative is crafted to explore the resources and processes of local printing presses, nurturing students' curiosity, observational abilities, creative thinking, and practical reasoning, laying the foundation for deeper, more meaningful learning. Siddayya Kallayya Mathapati is the Project Coordinator for this foundation project. 

Siddayya Kallayya Mathapati serves as an Assistant Teacher at the Government Model Kannada Boys School in Hulkoti. With over 12 years of teaching experience and 6 years as a Cluster Resource Person, he has played a significant role in enhancing school education across multiple levels. He was selected to participate at the national level in the craft competition during the State Government Employees Sports Meet. Known for his active involvement at the cluster level, he has successfully organised numerous creative programs for children, promoting innovation and meaningful engagement in school-based activities. Given his experience, he is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

Government Model Kannada Boys Central School in Hulkoti, North Karnataka, is located just 10 kilometers from Gadag city a cultural and educational hub known as "Mudranakashi" for its vibrant printing industry, which includes over 50 active presses and publishing houses. Hulkoti shares strong socio-economic ties with Gadag, making it an ideal setting for a community-connected learning experience.

Mudranakashi Namma Gadag, is thoughtfully designed to tackle persistent learning challenges faced by students particularly those related to language development, classroom engagement, and contextual understanding. Many children struggle with reading, writing, speaking, and listening due to conventional teaching methods, which lack experiential and interactive elements. Moreover, textbook content often feels disconnected from their lived realities, making it harder for them to grasp concepts meaningfully. This project responds by creating a vibrant, arts-integrated learning environment that draws from the rich cultural and historical landscape of Gadag, helping students bridge the gap between academic learning and their immediate surroundings

The project begins with visits to historic printing presses in Gadag, including Vemana Printing Press in Hulkoti, Twarita Mudranalaya in Gadag, and Shabadimath Press, known for printing local newspapers. For young students, the insights shared by press owners are often received as engaging stories, making the experience both memorable and meaningful. These interactions spark discussions among the children and motivate them to document their experiences through short written reflections. Activities like these naturally support the development of speaking, listening, and writing skills, while even simple exercises—such as noting down the names and addresses of the presses help strengthen their Kannada literacy.

Monthly thematic collages created from old newspapers like Nagarika, Kittur Karnataka, and Navodaya further enrich the experience, featuring topics such as local achievers, historical landmarks, and children’s narratives. These collages serve as a bridge between textbook content and real-world contexts, allowing students to explore themes from their curriculum—such as community, history, and social change— through local stories and visuals. By curating and presenting these collages, students actively connect academic concepts with their own observations and experiences, making learning more relevant, personal, and engaging.

As the project unfolds, a reading corner is set up within the classroom to create a welcoming space for voluntary reading. Alongside this, a book fair will be organised by gathering old books from nearby printing presses and local authors, making regional literature more accessible to students. To spark imagination and creative expression, replicas of vintage book covers are displayed, encouraging children to respond with their own stories, dialogues, or dramatic scenes inspired by these visuals. These activities deepen their engagement with language and literature in a culturally rooted and visually stimulating environment.

Later, as part of the project activity, each participating student will be assigned a specific printing press to visit. During these visits, students will use their own phones or a teacher’s phone to capture various aspects of the printing process, aiming to take around 20 to 25 photographs related to their assigned press. Back at school, they will select 10 to 15 of their favorite images, which will be printed either by the students themselves or with the help of teachers. Students will then thoughtfully arrange these photos in a sequence and write short captions—four to five lines for each image that together form a complete story. Each student’s photo-story will be compiled into a collective book representing different printing presses. This activity encourages creativity and helps children develop critical thinking and reflective skills. This hands-on activity not only strengthens reading and writing skills but also builds a deeper connection to local heritage and community values.

The outcome of this project will be exhibitions and publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be copies of the publication, photographs and the video documentation of the entire project.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the local communities they live in. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens promptly and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.

This Foundation Project is made possible in partnership with InterGlobe Foundation.